(rshsdepot) Union Depot - St. Paul, MN

["Bernie Wagenblast" <brwagenblast_@_comcast.net>]

From today's Star Tribune.

Bernie Wagenblast



Union Depot plan gets a boost


By Curt Brown

Amtrak President and CEO David Gunn backed St. Paul`s plan to move passenger 
train service back to the Union Depot after receiving a fleeting, firsthand 
glimpse of the shuttered downtown station Tuesday.

Gunn was riding Amtrak`s Empire Builder from Seattle to Chicago, showcasing 
renovated sleeper, dining and lounge cars on the line. St. Paul Mayor Randy 
Kelly joined Gunn for breakfast, riding from St. Paul to Red Wing and 
briefing the Amtrak chief on the $86 million plan to revive the depot as a 
transportation hub.

The once-bustling depot opened in 1923 and was closed in 1970. Since then 
the rear concourse has been owned by the U.S. Postal Service and the large 
waiting room has been used mainly by restaurants.

``I really share his enthusiasm to restore the old terminal,`` Gunn said, as 
Kelly pointed out the old concourse from a vintage lounge car. ``It really 
makes sense, and it gives vitality to the center cities.``

With $51.7 million of federal transportation money recently earmarked for 
the depot, Kelly said St. Paul will have to work with Ramsey County and 
state lawmakers to come up with another $35 million to return passenger 
trains to the depot. Amtrak now uses a station in the Midway area of St. 
Paul.

The $89 million price of breathing life back into the depot does not include 
the cost of acquiring 12 pivotal acres of Postal Service property. The St. 
Paul Port Authority is negotiating with postal officials to buy that land. 
Kelly said both sides hope for a deal by the end of the year.

The city is doing its own appraisals, and Kelly said he has a price in mind 
but declined to name it. He said the depot should be remodeled in two years, 
and the Postal Service has announced its plans to move more than 1,000 jobs 
and its St. Paul sorting operations to Eagan in 2009.

Riverfront and transportation planners hope the depot will start its rebirth 
with Amtrak service, then add light-rail and commuter lines and bus service 
connecting travelers to Minneapolis, Hastings and Forest Lake.

Amtrak has been financially shaky since its first train hit the rails in 
1971. President Bush`s last budget included no money for long-distance 
passenger trains. And although Congress doesn`t allocate matching funds for 
Amtrak as it does for highway and air transportation costs, federal 
lawmakers recently pledged more than $1 billion to keep the service rolling.

Despite the financial struggles, Gunn said, Empire Builder ridership is up 
about 9 percent over last year`s nearly 400,000 passengers. He said he was 
happy to see broad community support from Seattle to St. Paul. And with gas 
prices soaring and a strike at Northwest Airlines, he said, passenger trains 
make sense.

``It gives me lots of encouragement to keep fighting the battle because it 
is a battle to save rail passenger service,`` Gunn said. ``The time is 
right, and it`s going to happen.``

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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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End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #1189
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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org