Amtrak to re-name 30th St Station

http://www.phillyvoice.com/politicians- ... t-station/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Ben

If the station is to be renamed,Amtrak is waiting till after the station rehab and upgrade is done.

No, no and no. Naming every piece of public property after a politician needs to stop. If naming things after a person is required, name it after "Joe Taxpayer", whose work paid for it. In this case, we'd also be losing a helpful name (as 30th Street Station is much more useful in finding it than "Gray Station" or whatever, and we'd also be losing a long-lasting piece of railroad history.

Couldn't agree more. 20 years from now no one will know or care who the individual was. 30st Station, as mentioned, is descriptive and known by all. Next will be renaming Grand Central Terminal for Chuck Schumer when he retires. Congress should pass a law that renaming buildings for themselves can't be done. But that would require them to do something.

Thread should be retitled; a U.S. house resolution from 2014 directed Amtrak to rename it (and use that name in marketing) and it's declined to do so. The story is just reporting on the matter; there's no indication that Amtrak has any plans to comply, or whether it's even legally obliged to do so.

Hopefully this will never happen, but in an era where the teeming masses have become ignorant of history and tradition you never know. At least the proposal doesn't involve pimping out the property with an unrelated corporate name that will change every couple years, like the current practice with sports venues (or SEPTA's "AT&T Station" and "Jefferson Station").

They said they would "step up to the plate." That sounds like they're ready either to appropriate funds raised from taxes or to pass the hat among private donors. Any guesses which it'll be?

On the other hand, the Farley Building (renamed by Congress 1982) will probably simply called "Moynihan Station" by most in the future.

The name of Amtrak's Philadelphia Station was originally Pennsylvania Station as were the PRR's stations in New York, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and probably some other cities too.

Newark and Baltimore as well.

SouthernRailway wrote:No, no and no. Naming every piece of public property after a politician needs to stop. In this case, we'd also be losing a helpful name (as 30th Street Station is much more useful in finding it than "Gray Station" or whatever, and we'd also be losing a long-lasting piece of railroad history.

Agreed. The same should also apply to bridges and tunnels. Was there a pressing need to rechristen the Triboro and Queensboro (59th Street) Bridges and the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel?

SouthernRailway wrote:If naming things after a person is required, name it after "Joe Taxpayer", whose work paid for it.

Wasn't 30th Street Station built by the PRR?

KE and Everyone:

The posted article notes that Bill Gray's name be ADDED to the name title of 30th Street Station
and not outright replace the current well-known given name which is a huge difference then an
outright name change would have been...

In the case of the Triboro, Queensborough and Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel they were renamed to
ADD the names of Robert F. Kennedy, Edward I. Koch and Hugh L. Carey to the name titles -
instead of replacing these three well known names - which turned out to be the correct way
in these instances instead of replacing well established and known names here...

In case anyone does not remember Robert F. Kennedy was a former US Senator from NY;
Edward I. Koch was a former NYC Mayor and US Representative and Hugh L. Carey was a
former NYS Governor and US Representative.

Does anyone recall back during the 2000s when a group suggested renaming 30th Street
Station after Ben Franklin which would have created the confusing "Ben Station" nickname?
Thankfully this went no place and 30th Street Station's name was never changed...

SR: 30th Street Station was constructed by the PRR in the early 1930s using PRR funds.
There was no taxpayer funding necessary back then. The station was conveyed to Amtrak
along with the Northeast Corridor back in 1976 from the Penn Central estate.

MACTRAXX

1. Baltimore's Penn Station was originally "Union Station"
2. Opposed to these name changes- 30th Street is a perfectly adequate name.
3. I still hate Reagan National- it will always be National Airport to me. Same with the bridges and tunnels in NY.

Politicians probably have as low of a standing among the people today as they ever had. To name one of the most important stations in the US after one or more makes absolutely no sense. "Do Nothing Station" would be more fitting in this particular case.
Noel Weaver

Yes, the PRR built 30th Street Station but now it is at least partially supported by tax dollars, and subject to enough government control that the government can try to rename it.

The Koch Queensboro Bridge is too long of a name. Queensboro Bridge suffices. If people are generally supportive of having public assets named after politicians, then be prepared for major landmarks named after Trump, Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, etc. I'm not taking partisan positions here but am just pointing out that naming things after politicians will lead to things named after people who are loathed by large parts of the population.