Rate-A-Station
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NativeSon5859
Conductor
Maybe they'll use the info I provided on good old NOL. 
It it safe to assume Beaumont, TX, won't get rated very highly??? :lol:
ScottC4746
OBS Chief
Didn't Hurricane Ike wipe that one down to the foundation?
NativeSon5859
Conductor
Yeah, the reviews won't be favorable for good old Beaumont. What a waste of a decent sized population base.
ALC Rail Writer
Engineer
I gave ALC's stark review of ALC.
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Gee, I don't know. The Alliance station seams bright and airy allowing passengers to retain the feel of the outdoors and the ambiance of the nearby rail line.
Alliance OH
G
Guest
Guest
Hurricane Vagrants destroyed it, althought it was nothing the brag about before.
IIRC, Beaumont is one of the stations that is getting some stimulus monies, so it hopefully won't be the disaster that it is for too much longer.
MattW
Conductor
Well, I gave them my mind on Atlanta and Gainesville. I really ripped into them. Who knows, maybe if enough people take note, Atlanta'll get a decent station one day!
Speaking of wastes of decent population bases, we should have some folks send them reports from Pensacola, Tallahassee, etc., to the effect that the station wasn't much to speak of, but although they had heard that Sunset was frequently behind schedule in that area, they've been sitting there at the station(s) now for three years, and the Sunset still hasn't arrived........
Upstate
Lead Service Attendant
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Atlanta is a great station for the number of trains that pass through. Heck it even has a small park in the station all for two trains. If they add more trains then it would be nice to upgrade the station, but for now it is perfectly adequate.
ALC Rail Writer
Engineer
Umm dude, thats because those pictures were taken during the day. The call times for ALC are 1:30AM and 3:30AM. There's a oil drum people use for a bathroom, and, that is just pictures of the bus shelter. The cars are parked 1/5th of the mile down the platform in between two sets of tracks and there's a very dangerous pick up bar behind it. The neighborhood is FAR from safe-- it's the wrong side of town.
haolerider
Conductor
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- Apr 21, 2004
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It is a logistical nightmare for many people with its two levels, but you are correct that for one train a day in each direction is can work. Remember, the station is owned by NS and not Amtrak as is the case with 90% of the stations outside the NEC.
NativeSon5859
Conductor
That's actually a great idea.
Apart form the totally disastrous non-station in Beaumont, I would have to say that the Jacksonville, Fl station as one of the worst maintained.
I was there a few years ago to connect with the Sunset Ltd (pre-Katrina).
Not one of the vending machines worked, the water fountain was broken , and the restrooms were filthy. There was nowhere to get a drink of anything. Luckily, I always travel with a couple of bottles of drinking water, so I was fine.
It was if Amtrak didn't care at all about the comfort of their passengers that had to wait at this station.
It is probably worse now...
Bill
:lol:
I was there a few years ago to connect with the Sunset Ltd (pre-Katrina).
Not one of the vending machines worked, the water fountain was broken , and the restrooms were filthy. There was nowhere to get a drink of anything. Luckily, I always travel with a couple of bottles of drinking water, so I was fine.
It was if Amtrak didn't care at all about the comfort of their passengers that had to wait at this station.
It is probably worse now...
Bill
:lol:
And of course the present station is no more or less than the former suburban station. That is why it is so small and has few any amenities. It never did have such, never meant to. It was just a pause in the suburbs.
The two big stations were downtown. Atlanta and Amtrak got lucky not having to build an Amshack 20 miles away.
The big stations were downotwn near the Georiga World Congress Center,CNN,the Omni etc.
That was back in the days when Atlanta had eight railroads,maybe almost 100 trains,counting northbound and southbound both.
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The Jacksonville Amtrak station hasn't changed much, just fewer trains. Its not in a very convenient location either, but fortunately, a JTA bus route does serve the station. The station is 36 years old and shows it's age. I came through Jacksonville on the Floridian in Jan, 1973 on one of the first days the station opened. JAX has a beautiful terminal in the downtown area that has been turned into a convention center. It required a time consuming backup move for the through north-south trains. Amtrak actually cut about 30-45 min off the schedules when they started using the new station. Most people in Jacksonville do not even know that the current Amtrak station exists.
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I travel in and out of JAX 2-3 times a year and I would say that the station is perfectly adequate, clean, well lit, etc. I have left my car in the lighted free parking lot for 10 days to 2 weeks at a time with nary a problem, and the employees seem to be very nice.
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