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(rshsdepot) Jackson, MS
From the Clarion-Ledger=2E=2E=2E
Completion of Union Station pushed back to spring 2003
By Gregg Mayer=20
gmayer_@_clarionledger=2Ecom
Construction on the downtown Union Station Depot, once scheduled to be
finished by year's end, will continue until spring 2003, officials said=2E=
The $19 million renovation, under way since 2001, will turn the facility
into a hub of rail, train and bus service=2E It will also feature a
restaurant=2E=20
But changes in contracts =97 particularly the addition of Greyhound Bus Li=
ne
facilities =97 and additional smaller changes on site =97 have pushed the=
completion back to April, said Philip Barnes, acting manager of building
and grounds=2E
"Some things you discover as you go, especially something as old as that
site is, it would be almost impossible to find everything ahead of time,"
Barnes said=2E=20
The first of the change orders was in June 2001, and there have been three=
others since, such as to remove concrete footings=2E Adding the space for
Greyhound, which plans to relocate from Jefferson Street, also delayed
completion=2E
At one time, the renovation project was scheduled to be finished by summer=
2000=2E However, a slowdown during the design phase pushed back the
construction start=2E When crews began in 2001, officials said it would be=
finished by winter 2002=2E
"It's been an inconvenience for the passengers because a lot of times
there's not enough ample space for everyone to be comfortable," said Amtra=
k
ticket agent Ruffin Wyatt, who has worked out of a trailer adjacent to the=
site for two years=2E "But the overall picture is it's for a good reason,
it's for a good cause=2E"=20
Two Amtrak passenger trains pass through the Jackson station =97 one to Ne=
w
Orleans and one to Chicago=2E
The city purchased the 60,000-square-foot depot, located at Capitol and
Mill streets, in December 1998 from Illinois Central Railroad for $500,000=
=2E
The refurbished depot will consolidate rail, bus and taxi service in
Jackson=2E Plans also include a JATRAN bus transfer station, trolley and t=
axi
stands=2E=20
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=================================
The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org
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