what is the current status of Amtrak stations between ORL & NOL

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CornerDave

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what is the the current status of those Amtrak stations between Orlando and New Orleans?

Have they been abandoned? Or are they just sitting there empty?

Anybody got recent pictures of any of those stations?

Thanks!
 
A lot of info at the Amtrak study made in 2009. Alas, that doesn't

make it dated, because nothing much has changed.

http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/904/671/GulfCoastServicePlanReport.pdf

Here's an excerpt:

[SIZE=12pt]4. Preliminary Capital and Operating Cost Estimates [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Recent surveys of the Suspended Service Stations (see Exhibit B) indicate that bringing them back into service and into compliance with ADA requirements will require approximately $10.7 million in capital investments (in 2009 dollars). Exhibit C identifies the nature of the work required at each of these stations and the projected time requirement for its completion. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Two of the 13 Suspended Service Stations--Mobile, Alabama and Sanford, Florida--no longer have useable station buildings. The Mobile station building was significantly damaged by Hurricane Katrina; the property on which it was situated was sold by CSX to a developer, and the station was subsequently demolished. The Sanford Main Line Station was also damaged by hurricanes in 2004, resulting in its condemnation and termination of service prior to suspension of the [/SIZE][SIZE=12pt]Sunset Limited. [/SIZE]
 
Unless someone start a Kickstarter campaign to rebuild the Shinkansen service between NOL and ORL, I don't see any rail service along the gulf coast anytime soon. None of the states and communities wants to pay for it. (They want it, but they don't want to pay for it)

This will require a completely private effort.
 
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Sanford is sort of irrelevant since any restored service will have to be to Orlando like the truncated Sunset service was. There is nothing to support a non Auto Train termination at Sanford and never has been.

Besides, now there is a SunRail station. There appears to be no need for an Amtrak station there so close to the Deland station.

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum
 
The 2009 report estimated about $600K per station (varying by station) to get them into acceptable condition (which includes ADA compliance). There are 12 of them (not including Sanford).
 
Yes there were.

Bay St Louis MS

Gulfport MS

Biloxi MS

Pascagoula MS

Mobile AL

Atmore AL

Pensacola FL

Crestview FL

Chipley FL

Tallahassee FL

Madison FL

Lake City FL

* There should really, really be a corridor/commuter route from New Orleans to Mobile. Those stations are spaced quite tightly, and *they're all worthwhile*.

* From Mobile to Pensacola, the Sunset Limited then took a horribly slow "two sides of a triangle" route compared to the highway; and Atmore is tiny.

* From Flomaton (near Atmore) through Pensacola to Tallahassee, the railroad isn't signalled; max speed 59 mph, and expensive to change. The cities along there are pretty tiny too.

* If the politics of Florida shift, a Tallahassee to Jacksonville corridor route could be successful. Lake City is decent-sized.

The Mobile - Tallahassee section is seriously problematic and uncompetitive with driving. I really think that before restoring through service along this, more-often-than-daily corridor service from New Orleans to Mobile and from Tallahassee to Jacksonville should be created; in this context, one a day going through might be viable even with the low speeds. In the current context, it probably wouldn't be.
 
jis said:
Sanford is sort of irrelevant since any restored service will have to be to Orlando like the truncated Sunset service was. There is nothing to support a non Auto Train termination at Sanford and never has been.

Besides, now there is a SunRail station. There appears to be no need for an Amtrak station there so close to the Deland station.
Click to expand...
Just to be clear, trains stopping at the Auto Train station in Sanford cannot continue to Orlando. The Main Line station was furthur south; the new Sunrail station is to the northwest.

If Amtrak can be accomodated at the Sunrail station, this seems like a reasonable solution to the station problem.
 
neroden said:
Yes there were.

Bay St Louis MS

Gulfport MS

Biloxi MS

Pascagoula MS

Mobile AL

Atmore AL

Pensacola FL

Crestview FL

Chipley FL

Tallahassee FL

Madison FL

Lake City FL

* There should really, really be a corridor/commuter route from New Orleans to Mobile. Those stations are spaced quite tightly, and *they're all worthwhile*.

* From Mobile to Pensacola, the Sunset Limited then took a horribly slow "two sides of a triangle" route compared to the highway; and Atmore is tiny.

* From Flomaton (near Atmore) through Pensacola to Tallahassee, the railroad isn't signalled; max speed 59 mph, and expensive to change. The cities along there are pretty tiny too.

* If the politics of Florida shift, a Tallahassee to Jacksonville corridor route could be successful. Lake City is decent-sized.

The Mobile - Tallahassee section is seriously problematic and uncompetitive with driving. I really think that before restoring through service along this, more-often-than-daily corridor service from New Orleans to Mobile and from Tallahassee to Jacksonville should be created; in this context, one a day going through might be viable even with the low speeds. In the current context, it probably wouldn't be.
Click to expand...
Besides the Sunset Limited, Amtrak has operated two other trains over portions of that route....the Gulf Coast Limited ran in two separate era's from New Orleans to Mobile, and the Gulf Breeze separated from the Crescent at Birmingham, and ran down to Montgomery, Atmore and Mobile.....
 
sechs said:
jis said:
Sanford is sort of irrelevant since any restored service will have to be to Orlando like the truncated Sunset service was. There is nothing to support a non Auto Train termination at Sanford and never has been.

Besides, now there is a SunRail station. There appears to be no need for an Amtrak station there so close to the Deland station.
Click to expand...
Just to be clear, trains stopping at the Auto Train station in Sanford cannot continue to Orlando. The Main Line station was furthur south; the new Sunrail station is to the northwest.
If Amtrak can be accomodated at the Sunrail station, this seems like a reasonable solution to the station problem.
Click to expand...
They can't? You mean they can't back up to the mainline and continue? They fall off a cliff?
 
Green Maned Lion said:
sechs said:
jis said:
Sanford is sort of irrelevant since any restored service will have to be to Orlando like the truncated Sunset service was. There is nothing to support a non Auto Train termination at Sanford and never has been.

Besides, now there is a SunRail station. There appears to be no need for an Amtrak station there so close to the Deland station.
Click to expand...
Just to be clear, trains stopping at the Auto Train station in Sanford cannot continue to Orlando. The Main Line station was furthur south; the new Sunrail station is to the northwest.
If Amtrak can be accomodated at the Sunrail station, this seems like a reasonable solution to the station problem.
Click to expand...
They can't? You mean they can't back up to the mainline and continue? They fall off a cliff?
Click to expand...
As far as you're concerned, yes. Any other smart-ass comments?
 
Here are pictures I took and posted last November of some of the above stations on the abandoned route, along with a couple in the New Orleans area:
 
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If I remember correctly from other post about the SL, Mobile and Atmore no longer have stations. I was born in Atmore but have not lived there in 50 years. I can remember seeing the L & N Hummingbird come through town.
 
sechs said:
As far as you're concerned, yes. Any other smart-ass comments?
Click to expand...
I object to you suggesting something isn't possible when it is. Complicated, convoluted, and difficult, sure. I object to people who like to simply stop people from thinking with false definites.

Moreover, I object to your closed mindedness being a reason to object to my statements. If you think I'm a jerk, be my guest. It may be the most reasonable deduction you've reached in 20 years. When you state something that is patently false, I will keep calling you on it.

Unspoken Laziness in explaining something is completely unacceptable. When you are lazy and don't want to explain something thoroughly either keep your mouth shut or man up and admit you are being lazy.
 
Atmore was still there as of a year ago, and it's still on the aerial photo at Google Maps. It's just a glorified Amshack with a platform. I believe all the stations between Atmore and Lake City (inclusive) are intact, although they would require various degrees of renovation to reopen.
 
neroden said:
Yes there were.

Bay St Louis MS

Gulfport MS

Biloxi MS

Pascagoula MS

Mobile AL

Atmore AL

Pensacola FL

Crestview FL

Chipley FL

Tallahassee FL

Madison FL

Lake City FL

* There should really, really be a corridor/commuter route from New Orleans to Mobile. Those stations are spaced quite tightly, and *they're all worthwhile*.

* From Mobile to Pensacola, the Sunset Limited then took a horribly slow "two sides of a triangle" route compared to the highway; and Atmore is tiny.

* From Flomaton (near Atmore) through Pensacola to Tallahassee, the railroad isn't signalled; max speed 59 mph, and expensive to change. The cities along there are pretty tiny too.

* If the politics of Florida shift, a Tallahassee to Jacksonville corridor route could be successful. Lake City is decent-sized.

The Mobile - Tallahassee section is seriously problematic and uncompetitive with driving. I really think that before restoring through service along this, more-often-than-daily corridor service from New Orleans to Mobile and from Tallahassee to Jacksonville should be created; in this context, one a day going through might be viable even with the low speeds. In the current context, it probably wouldn't be.
Click to expand...
My thoughts on this subject are that the route should be "day train" service. I think one reason why service has remained suspended over this route is that the route saw service at night time, a couple of times a week. The general public may have thought of this service as a joke, or as an example of worthlessness, when it was operating. No wonder it went away with nary a peep ! This route, I think would be best served by trains running during the day. Pols in Tallahassee ( for example) might see some value to a train service with a couple departures both directions each day. The pols in FL and elsewhere see no value in train service that stops in the middle of the night or before dawn.
 
The Amshack showing in the google maps photo of Atmore is not the one that was there when I lived there. The one I remember was larger and on the opposite side of the track and was closer to the intersection of Main Street and Nashville Ave. In looking at one of the last Amtrak timetables showing Atmore, if I read the symbols correct, you could not buy tickets at the shack, they had to be purchased on the train or from a travel agent in advance.
 
Govenor Lepetomane: 'I didn't get a harumph from that man.'

Hedly Lamarr: 'Give the Govenor a harumph!'
 
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