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This article, about the expansion of New York's Penn Station, has some unfotunate fears about Amtrak mentioned at the end. I know you have to be signed up at the NY Times to get it, but I didn't know if it was proper for me to post the whole article, since it is copyrighted (though it's a free article for 7 days at least). So here is the link:
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Very nice article. I would love to see Penn Station return to its past glory its a shame the three railroads can't get along and get it right, especially Amtrak which for the commercial and promotional marketing benifits it should jump on the deal. The current Penn Station is one the busiest Train Station in the World yet one of the worst designed facilities for moving people efficiently. The statements of the New Jersey PATH system citing to plant its flag in Manhatten harkens back to the PRR vision to build the origional station. While not in competion with the LIRR it would seperate the congestion between the two populations. The LIRR has put alot of money into improvements to its public and waiting areas and the adding the abandoned PATH areas would help the flow of passangers. As for the Amtrak area. Despite its gates being in the same cite on what was once the greatest of all train rooms no matter what they do it will always look like a bus depot. It is a shame that off all the stops along the NEC, Manhatten has the sorriest train stop when compared to the Newark, Baltimore Penn Stations the Philadelphia 30th St Station, and the New Haven, Baltimore and D.C Union Stations. Looking at the way it will be funded New York and the Federal Government will be paying a portion anyway Amtrak should be given platform space. After all if you but up with the Lake Shore Limited you should at least be treated to arriving at a McKim, Mead and White designed building.
sojourner Member # 3134
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Tanner--you mention PATH, but I think this article is about NJ Transit. The PATH shuttles are operated by the Port Authority (joint NYC and NJ), and the small terminus in "midtown" is at Greeley Square, the small "square" formed just south of Herald Square where Broadway meets 6th Avenue ("Avenue of the Americas") at W 33rd St.
I don't mind Penn Station as much as you do, probably because of its location and its Krispy Kreme (now there is the concession they ought to put on Amtrak) though I generally do hate newer facilities and agree it was a lot more lovely when Amtrak went into Grand Central Station, one of the nicest train stations in the US.
Speaking of nice stations, I was impressed with the (rather large) old Erie Lackawanna station in Hoboken, which I explored a bit (there is a very nice large hall and ceiling) on my last trip to NYC (when I had to cancel my Long Island Railroad trip to Greenport). You can go over on a NY Waterways ferry from the World Financial Center for about $3.50 (be sure you take the ferry to Hoboken SOUTH) and return on a PATH train to the aforementioned midtown station at W 33rd for $1.50 (it also stops Christopher St and then I think W 14th and 23rd; price may be going up to $1.90 in 2006). The part of Hoboken has very very nice old townhouses and streets and a couple of excellent Pan Latin/Cuban restaurants (not on Washington St, the main drag, but nearby; one starts with a Z), so it's worth working around some.
D. David Member # 4055
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Can't view... going to look for it in Reuters
PATH doesn't go there. it stops east of it by an avenue at Herald Square South with access to Manhattan Mall and two subway lines.
Tanner929 Member # 3720
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Sorry my mistake I meant the NJ Transit system. The origional plan for the New Penn System would be connected to Grand Central and an air train to LaGuardia Airport but who knows! They are building a subway line on the east side of Manhatten that has been going on for years.
D. David Member # 4055
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Decades actually.
Here's a decent Op Ed on it from Newsday, a Long Island based paper:
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Today is Amtrak's most travelled day I hope they are ready. How about those truckers doing there best to keep the roads moving.
dilly Member # 1427
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quote:Originally posted by sojourner: Speaking of nice stations, I was impressed with the (rather large) old Erie Lackawanna station in Hoboken
Good to hear you enjoyed your visit to Hoboken Terminal, one of my top ten favorite stations in the nation. I was there the other day, and made a point of arriving an hour before my train departed, just so I could grab some coffee and a donut, spend some time sitting in the atmospheric old waiting room, and wander around the train shed and low level platforms, where 15 New Jersey Transit trains sat in full view waiting to depart.
Who knows? If the Erie Lackawanna's long distance passenger service hadn't already been headed for the scrapyard back in 1971, travelers might be boarding "Amtrak's Phoebe Snow" in Hoboken today (which would be a far more evocative experience than catching an NEC Regional out of either the current or proposed Penn Station just across the river).
sojourner Member # 3134
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Yes, and I think a lot of ships to Europe used to leave from a very nearby area in Hoboken as well.
What are your top 10 favorite stations, Dilly? You can start another strand if you think best. I know we once had a strand of favorite train stations but I forget where it went. I don't remember anyone mentioning Hoboken, but probably that's because it's not an Amtrak station.
I still hope to get to Greenport one of these days, maybe Orient Point too and do that loop up to CT and RI. I've never been to Shelter Island either (or the Hamptons for that matter, though I'm less interested). In fact, the furthest east I've been on Long Island is Stony Brook, I think. Where I'd really like to go is Gardiner's Island! not to mention, Plum Island!
Tanner929 Member # 3720
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The Long Island Railroad southern route goes all the way out to Montauk and its a very nice trip. Some time sharers or home owners still take the train though many have transfered to the Jitney (Its a freakin BUS!) As with Metro North and other commuter trains the LIRR long trips suffer from the same malady. Uncomfortable seats with very little leg room. Worse thing these lines did was when they designed the current cars was the seats bring back the old couches.
20thCenturyLimited Member # 1108
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quote:Originally posted by sojourner: Yes, and I think a lot of ships to Europe used to leave from a very nearby area in Hoboken as well.
What are your top 10 favorite stations, Dilly? You can start another strand if you think best. I know we once had a strand of favorite train stations but I forget where it went. I don't remember anyone mentioning Hoboken, but probably that's because it's not an Amtrak station.
I still hope to get to Greenport one of these days, maybe Orient Point too and do that loop up to CT and RI. I've never been to Shelter Island either (or the Hamptons for that matter, though I'm less interested). In fact, the furthest east I've been on Long Island is Stony Brook, I think. Where I'd really like to go is Gardiner's Island! not to mention, Plum Island!
The only ships that left for Europe from Hoboken were those of the Holland America Line, a LONG LONG time ago. Otherwise, all ships left from Manhattan's West Side PIers, and then later specifically the "Super Piers" built specifically for the NORMANDIE, QUEEN MARY, and QUEEN ELIZABETH at 50th Street.
notelvis Member # 3071
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[/QUOTE] Who knows? If the Erie Lackawanna's long distance passenger service hadn't already been headed for the scrapyard back in 1971, travelers might be boarding "Amtrak's Phoebe Snow" in Hoboken today (which would be a far more evocative experience than catching an NEC Regional out of either the current or proposed Penn Station just across the river). [/QB][/QUOTE]
There has been talk of perhaps 'someday' rebuilding the Lackawanna cutoff and restoring passenger trains from Hoboken as far as Scranton, PA. While I would love to see that happen, I kind of have that idea in the same category as the NCDOT proposal in 1994 to restore passenger trains to Asheville, NC. A good idea that just hasn't happened in spite of a decade of discussion.
sojourner Member # 3134
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I believe several shipping lines other than Holland American also used Hoboken at one time.
"Ten steamship lines, three of them carrying passengers as well as freight, and five railroads, one of them serving only manufacturers in the city, make Hoboken a transportation center." http://www.getnj.com/njags/city/hoboken1.shtml
Hoboken has the look of an old port, with the cobblestone streets and buildings that seem like ex-taverns. It's quite nice now too--I really liked it. Also, had a great lunch at a Pan Latin restaurant with a Z.
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