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HAMMOND — The turreted depot in the center of the city has become the little train station that could.
Though only a small portion of the brick building remains devoted to train travel, that tiny waiting room has been packed with passengers and emotion since Hurricane Katrina.
After the storm closed Amtrak’s large station in New Orleans for weeks, the Hammond station temporarily became the southernmost stop and turn-around point for the “City of New Orleans,” the train that runs to and from Chicago daily.
With train traffic dwindling in recent decades, the depot’s waiting room had shrunk to 24 seats as the Chamber of Commerce and the Clerk of Court occupied parts of the building.
Still, it handled hundreds of passengers a day as evacuees caught outgoing trains and workers poured in from the north.
Evacuees walked in with all of the possessions they had stuffed in garbage bags, said Craig Carter, the Amtrak agent who oversees the station. Story
BNSF 1088 Member # 2400
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This is why we need to keep Amtrak Long Distance trains running and Ticket Agents in the Stations.
Geoff M Member # 153
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I'm not sure I follow your logic here. We need to keep long distance trains and ticket agents in the stations in case of a hurricane? Does Seattle get hurricanes?
I agree in princple but not for the reason given!!
Geoff M.
BNSF 1088 Member # 2400
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what i mean is Amtrak plays a big role in any type of weather emergency or to haul the miltary or other emergency personal.
You take the LD trains off and your screwd this story points out why we need Agents in the stations and why we need the LD trains.
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