(rshsdepot) Poughkeepsie, NY

[I95BERNIEW_@_aol.com]

From yesterday's Poughkeepsie Journal.
 
 
Bernie Wagenblast
 
Transportation Communications Newsletter
_http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transport-communications/_ 
(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transport-communications/)  
 
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Workers spruce up train station 
Passengers cheer despite the  noise
 

By Michael Valkys
Poughkeepsie Journal
 
There is plenty of noisy activity these days at the Poughkeepsie Train  
Station — and it's more than the usual hustle and bustle of commuters rushing to  
catch their trains.
 
The sound of jackhammers and yellow caution tape greeted passengers Monday,  
as it has in recent weeks, while workers perform $3 million worth of 
renovations  at the historic station overlooking the Hudson River. The work will give 
the  station a new pavilion off Main Street, refurbished staircases, add new 
floors  and apply fresh coats of paint to help the building regain some of its 
former  grandeur.
 
Metro-North Railroad spokeswoman Marjorie Anders said work at the station  
comes as ridership continues to increase in Poughkeepsie and throughout the  
Hudson Line.
 
"We want to do the stations that are busiest," Anders said of upgrades at  
Poughkeepsie and elsewhere. She said the work began last year, slowed during  
winter months and is picking up steam again now that warmer weather has  arrived.
 
"Right now we're up to stuff that's really customer-oriented," Anders said  
of the station work that will be highly visible to passengers in the coming  
months.
 
With more and more people moving to Dutchess County, Metro-North has  
responded with millions of dollars worth of improvements at the Poughkeepsie  
station. A $22 million upgrade completed several years ago brought a new parking  
garage, a pavilion off Main Street and a new walkway leading to the  station.
 
Anders said 1,677 passengers use the Poughkeepsie station on a typical  
weekday. That number decreases only slightly on weekends, with 1,534 passengers  
departing the station on Saturdays and 1,454 on Sundays.
 
Metro-North passengers said they don't mind the noisy work if it means the  
station ends up looking better than it has in years past.
 
Georgia Thrasher of Highland, a former Poughkeepsie resident, said the  
improved station will give visitors arriving by train a better first impression  of 
the city.
 
"It's nice they are fixing it up," said Thrasher, who uses the train  several 
times a month to visit relatives in New York City.
 
Andrew Merklinger of New Jersey, studying and living at the Culinary  
Institute of America in Hyde Park, catches trains out of the Poughkeepsie  station 
about twice a week.
 
He gave the work a thumbs up.
 
"I think this is a really nice train station," Merklinger said.
 
The renovation has not affected passengers beyond the construction noise  and 
temporary closure of some staircases.
 
Anders said the work will continue through the summer and wrap up by  
November.
 
"You can't do everything at once," Anders said. "We're going to be here for  
awhile."
 
Construction in high gear
 
Robert Fiorio, one of the managers overseeing renovations, said passengers  
will likely see more of workers as the weather continues to improve.
 
"Over the last month, we've had a lot of activity," Fiorio said.  
"Construction activities will pick up over the next two months."
 
The improvements continue what local leaders hope is a revitalization of  not 
only the station, but of the Main Street corridor west of the Mid-Hudson  
Civic Center that leads to the river.
 
Dooley Square, with restaurants and other shops, opened in 2004 after the  
former J.D. Johnson building was renovated following years of vacancy. New art  
galleries have also opened nearby and the Mid-Hudson Children's Museum 
relocated  down North Water Street from the train station four years ago.
 
Anders said harsh winters and past neglect have taken their toll on  
Poughkeepsie and other stations. She said the railroad over the years  concentrated 
its spending on track and signal repairs needed to ensure better  service for 
customers.
 
With that work nearly done, Anders said Metro-North is now turning its  
attention to stations such as Poughkeepsie that need makeovers.
 
"It was desperately in need of attention," Anders said.
 
Town of Poughkeepsie resident Santosh Mohite, who takes the train to visit  
friends in New York, is glad to see the work under way.
 
"They should definitely improve the quality of the station," Mohite  said.
 
Michael Valkys can be reached at _mvalkys_@_poughkeepsiejournal.com_ 
(mailto:mvalkys_@_poughkeepsiejournal.com) 

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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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