JTA Shrinks Transportation Center's Footprint

[Ocklawaha]

Still a massive waste of money, resources and developable land.

I wonder what part of: "A single station, single waiting room, single ticket counter with multiple windows," that JTA/FDOT doesn't get?

Worse? THE STATION IS ALREADY THERE, but here we go again, trying to reinvent the wheel!

I challenge ANYONE to take a nice summer day, about 11 am (about Amtrak arrival time) walk through the hole in the fence (under the viaduct) out to near the tracks. Then walk up the hill, to the front door of the old station (you'd pick up your baggage here with the JTA or the MJ plan) then walk to Bay, walk down to the far end of the Skyway Station, cross the street, walk all the way through that block and into the midpoint of the next. BINGO! Epiphany!

I know, "But Ock, they're going to build a direct overhead walkway from the tracks to Greyhound..."
Q..So you plan to leave your luggage at the Amtrak Station? Nobody is going to use that walkway and Bay and Forsyth are going to get someone killed. Hopefully AAF reads this and pushes them just to refurbish and reopen the original station for ALL CARRIERS. Then let Flagler develop the rest of those LaVilla blocks.

[Charles Hunter]

That's a great plan, Ock, but the Convention Center is not going anywhere, and the City doesn't want to share the space.

[Tacachale]

^I think that's what Ennis was talking about. If we wait for the city to get its act together about the convention center, we could be waiting for many years to ever have a transportation center (or even to bring Amtrack back downtown).

[Ocklawaha]

Okay, IF WE MUST BE STUPID, at least do it intelligently! Oh yeah, otherwise this is proof of the concept rather then some crazy railfan that can only see the original station...

There are plans, (probably about as effective as the downtown JRTC over the last decade) to move out into a 'real' convention center. Meanwhile our 'great conventions' consist of gun, stamp and home shows. HARDLY GAME CHANGING CONVENTIONS! Move the damn functions to a phone booth on Philips and let the building revert to the function it was designed for.

Meanwhile, Greyhounds 8,000 weekly, isn't enough passenger volume to keep the old 'Post House' restaurant open, Amtrak's 1,330 isn't enough passenger volume to keep the vending machines stocked, and JTA'S riders are generally not in the market for food, gifts, or travel needs.

The result? A Greyhound Station with no place to eat, An Amtrak Station with absolutely no other services, and a bunch of JTA platforms that duplicate Rosa Parks. Thus there is no critical mass and we have three giant stations full of 'new retail TOD', each with a dirt floor and locked doors! VACANT!

[tufsu1]

That's a great plan, Ock, but the Convention Center is not going anywhere, and the City doesn't want to share the space.

thanks for the reality check

[Ocklawaha]

With just a small 'terminal throat' and only a piece of the wye on the city property I would imagine the desire to relocate Greyhound, play to AAF, and keep the convention center might push it over the top. I think our problem is RSH apparently does NOT understand what a true Transportation Center looks like, to wit: Milwaukee, Fort Worth, Denver, New Orleans etc.. I think the passenger throat could be boxed in with sound barriers, which would also serve as people barriers. With the roads and ramps elevated over the tracks, it would be an above ground 'tunnel' without a roof. Trucks could access through a gate with stop signs that could swing backward across the tracks (railroad practice). A curving sidewalk along the parking lot allows pedestrians to access the ramp or elevator up and over the tracks. Seems to me it would work. Thanks for the kudos, we might do more on this...
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[Jaxson]

I agree that waiting for the convention center to move before taking any action on bringing Amtrak into the old train terminal is short-sighted.  There has been talk about building a larger convention center as long as I can remember.  There indeed are folks who want to wait until the fate of the convention center is decided.  This could not only take years, but delays a sensible means of getting Amtrak passengers in and out of our city.  As a frequent Amtrak passenger, I envy those cities that have Amtrak stations that have passenger amenities and/or are within walking distance of restaurants, lodging, shopping, etc.  Every downtown merchant should support expediting rather than stalling such a move back downtown for passenger rail.  By continuing to have our Amtrak station in the middle of nowhere on U.S. 1, there is no way to bring incoming and outgoing passengers into our local economy.  I remember taking advantage of Amtrak stations that have better locations.  South Station in Boston, for example, has retail and dining inside their station for travelers and commuters.  When I took the now-suspended Sunset Limited to Los Angeles, I was able to rent a car at the car rental office located in Union Station.  When I went to New York City for Spring Break, my hotel room was only blocks away from Penn Station. 
In my opinion, we are shortchanging our train station in ways that we would not disrespect those who travel by air.  We expect to have food and other options for people who are traveling out of JIA.   Even if we don't believe that having food and shopping concourses inside a restored Amtrak station downtown, at least there is the urban core that would benefit from train passenger dollars.  I bet that air passengers have a much better impression of our city than train passengers.  The JIA interior is designed beautifully with art and aesthetics that conjure up a land where Florida begins.  That is an excellent first impression that surely beats a train passenger coming into our city and experiencing what looks and feels like a whistle-stop in Podunk.