(rshsdepot) High Point NC

[Jim Dent <jdent1_@_optonline.net>]

Depot closes for renovation
By Amanda Young, STAFF WRITER March 11, 2003

The downtown railroad Depot will close March 28 until work on the
restoration project is finished.

The downtown station will be closed during the final renovation phase to
protect the safety of passengers and construction crews, said Ellen Tai, a
spokeswoman for the N.C. Department of Transportation Rail Division.
Access to Amtrak from Main Street and the parking deck on W. High Avenue
will be closed to the public. Amtrak is redirecting all of its passengers to
the Greensboro station at 2603 Oakland Ave.

A total of 12 passenger trains serve the High Point and Greensboro stations
daily. The Crescent line offers service from New York to New Orleans, the
Piedmont provides service between Raleigh and Charlotte, and the Carolinian
provides service from Charlotte to New York City.

Ratenbach Constructors of Greensboro began work on the Depot in January. If
weather permits and work stays on schedule, the station should be restored
to its original condition by July or late summer.

The 18-month project is slightly behind schedule. Continuing train traffic
has made construction difficult because the existing building is adjacent to
the main line of the Norfolk Southern Railway, officials said. Crews have
had to work around regular traffic of both the Norfolk Southern freight
trains and Amtrak passenger trains.

Rail service through High Point will continue at the same levels as before
the project began, but passengers will be required to access the Greensboro
station. Trains have been forced to slow down once they come through the
station.

"The trains will still run the tracks through High Point," Tai said. "We're
just closing the station."

Initial restoration of the Depot began in November 2001. The $6.2 million
project is being funded with grants from the Federal Highway Administration
and local and state matching funds. Both the city and the state are
contributing 10 percent, or $622,300, while the federal government is paying
80 percent of the cost.

The Depot was built in 1905 by Southern Railway Co. The station building is
at street level with the tracks and platform 30 feet below in an open cut.

The goal of the project is to restore the Depot to its original appearance
while keeping with historical accuracy.

Replacement of the pedestrian bridge across the tracks also is part of the
renovation project.

Amanda Young can be contacted
at 888-3617 or ayoung_@_hpe.com

İHigh Point Enterprise 2003



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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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