Marshall TX is getting an elevator!

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neroden

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Texas Eagle Train 21/421 & 22/422: Station Construction Affects Service at Marshall, Texas

Effective September 11 - 19, 2017

Starting September 11 through September 19, the Marshall Amtrak station will be closed to the public while work is performed to construct a new ADA compliant elevator, ticket office and walkway to the train platform. During that time Amtrak Thruway Connecting Bus Service will provide transportation for customers traveling to and from Marshall.
https://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=AM_Alert_C&pagename=am/AM_Alert_C/Alerts_Popup&cid=1251656436015

Progress!

Reviewing the list of stations where the platform cannot be reached in a wheelchair (from late 2014):

Ashland, VA

Buffalo Exchange St., NY

Clifton Forge, VA

Coatesville, PA -- designed, approved, mysteriously delayed (perhaps unfunded)

Elko, NV

Glenwood Springs, CO -- listed as accessible but Amtrak does not consider it so internally (probably because the accessible route is far out of the way and not entirely safe)

Harpers Ferry, WV

Marshall, TX -- construction actually ongoing

Mount Joy, PA -- construction actually ongoing

Newark, DE -- constructing phase 1 but ADA construction is supposedly in "phase 3" (eyeroll) so I'm not sure it's fully funded

Paoli, PA -- construction supposedly started, but I haven't seen anything

Parkesburg, PA

Philadelphia-North,PA

Westerly, RI -- listed as accessible but Amtrak does not consider it so internally (probably inability to cross the tracks)

Windsor, CT -- new station designed, unfunded

Windsor Locks, CT -- new station designed, unfunded

Windsor-Mt Aschtney, VT

The speed of progress is abysmal. But given the abysmal speed, going from 2 stations under construction to 3 is a 50% improvement! :) So yay about Marshall.
 
Since Marshall is a Crew Change stop, wonder if they'll still stop the Eagles and do the change there?

Normally passengers aren't allowed a fresh air/smoke break at this Classic Station/Museum.

And the Eagles have to do 2 spots for the Crew Change and Passenger detraining/boarding with a back up move to/from the Station track involved to keep the UP Main clear.
 
Don't understand Ashland. Platform is at street level and should be easily accessible in wheelchair. It does,like many, require a wheelchair lift to access the coach.
There was a discussion on this in a thread a while back: http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/topic/68988-back-bay-westerly-two-more-unstaffed-stations/?p=681567.

Ashland has a wheelchair lift on the western platform, and that platform is wheelchair accessible from the street. It's only on one side, so I don't know if this would count as 100% accessibility, as this would require a southbound train, which usually boards from the eastern platform, to switch to the western track. I would hope that with advanced notice of a disability need that Amtrak could work with the CSX dispatchers to put the train on the right track, but it is CSX so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

~ ATE
 
Hmmm I didn't realize that there were still some inaccessible platforms. I just assumed that as long as Amtrak had SOME way of giving wheelchair passengers access to the trains, that it was ADA-compliant.

For example, when I traveled from Orlando to Richmond on the Silver Star, I was waiting to board in Orlando and some crew members used a lift to allow a few wheelchair passengers to board the train. That's because the platform at ORL is not elevated.
 
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Most of Amtrak's stations get wheelchairs from the platform to the train with the portable lift. Not a good solution because it's very slow, but it's tolerable.

This short list is the list of stations where you can't wheel your way from the station entrance to the *platform*.

In Ashland, I believe the problem is the eastern platform, which lacks a lift, lacks a place to put a lift, and probably isn't even wide enough to roll a wheelchair down.

Elko's problem appears to be that the ramps are too steep to be ADA-compliant -- too hard for a manual wheelchair to traverse. They look like very old ramps.

Glenwood Springs requires going far out of your way along two streets (and currently, through a construction zone)

Westerly appears to be a matter of not being able to get to the north-side platform.

Windsor, VT looks like it's basically a matter of degraded pavement and would be pretty easy to fix.

Most of the others have mandatory stairs.
 
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The problem in Westerly is not crossing the tracks. There is an underground tunnel from the station and south tracks down steps (but there's also a stair lift on it.) This tunnel exits in the auxiliary station building maybe 100 feet from the north (southbound) tracks. (There is also parking on that side.)

The big problem I see is that the tracks on the southbound side platform is built on a banked curve! You would notice this if you attempted to get up or change seats while stopped there. Perhaps they could load a wheelchair from the lift - once inside the car, it's downhill! :eek:
 
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