Amtrak's Best Big-City Station

It's not particularly large, but Tampa Union Station is a wonderful little 1912 Italian Renaissance wedding cake of a structure:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amtrak_-_Tampa_Union_Station.jpg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TUS_Exterior_Front.JPG

JasW wrote:It's not particularly large, but Tampa Union Station is a wonderful little 1912 Italian Renaissance wedding cake of a structure:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amtrak_-_Tampa_Union_Station.jpg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TUS_Exterior_Front.JPG

If only it had more than two trains a day ....

ExCon90 wrote:

Suburban Station wrote:

Station Aficionado wrote:To briefly resurrect an old topic, the current issue of Trains ranks 30th Street in Philadelphia as the best station in the country (the limited their choices to those with Amtrak service). Very nice article on 30th Street, and capsule summaries of the rest of their top 10.

I agree with their choice and reasoning. I wish they had gotten into some of the forgotten amenities such as the direct tunnel to the el( staircase now under bridgewater's pub). over the years I've heard all sorts of rumors, that you used to be able to go directly to the platform for trains heading to ny from the el.

Yes, there was a passageway that led, as someone pointed out, from just about where Bridgewater's is now; it came out right at the subway turnstiles. Sometime, I believe in the 1960's, people became afraid to use it because of muggings, and the decision was made to surrender it to the vagrants and thugs by closing it off. I don't know the exact issues, but there are many places in Philadelphia where there doesn't seem to be any certainty about whether the City, the railroad, or the transit operator is responsible, so it becomes an orphan. That may have been the case with the passageway between 30th St. and the subway. There was also an underground passageway from the North Philadelphia station of the Broad St. Subway to both North Philadelphia on the PRR and North Broad St. on the RDG--they're both history.

Little off topic from the original question, but...

If that connection was closed off in the 60s, it was reopened at some point, because I actually used it in the early 80s a few times. I remember a sort of curving corridor and steps going from 30th St Station to the EL. It smelled BAD, and I remember having my eyes peeled around the corner of that curved corridor for a potential "problem," but it was fine. That was a LONG time ago, however. I believe it was closed (again?) in the late 80s.

30th St is really a gem in the Amtrak system. Quite a few excellent contenders, but 30th St has a lot going for it these days, and a lot of development happening right there that will make it even better. Certainly the design is timeless and classy, but what good is all that if the usefullness and utility are not there? But this station has it all. I used it on Black Friday and the place was so busy, it felt really urban---and good. Lots of food offerings, people were spending money there, taxis were coming and going, etc. I was pleasantly surprised because its been quite a while since I've transited through there.

The connection to the subway of which we speak has the potential to reopen in the future. The post office property will be used in a different manner going forward, and there will be a new bioscience tower (I believe) built 1 block south. The Cira Centre has brought Class 1 space to the west side of the river, and that should help lure the next development after the bioscience tower. The University of Pennsylvania has purchased and is redeveloping the old postal property between the Highline and the NEC tracks (and actually some of it over the NEC), with huge green spaces/parks/fields, etc. It will no longer be a wasteland, but an attraction. I was not aware of the Drexel sponsored development, but that will do nothing but add to the 30th St area. The area could use use a 1st class hotel. I can see that connector reopening and the 30th St EL station being redone to include a north-south oriented concourse that connects 30th St Station, the EL, the redeveloped postal facility, the new bioscience building, and opening up to the new greens Penn is developing. The Penn campus could use a direct, safe, walking connnection to 30 St Station.

With Penn and Drexel as anchors in the area not going anywhere, and who are both in fact, expanding their footprints, the 30th St area will be a new business area similar to the Penn Center area 50-60 years ago. With the ability to walk to catch Amtrak to NY, DC, or Harrisburg, regional rail, and subway service right there, it has a lot going for it.

It will make 30th St Station an even more bustling place. I think its brightest days are ahead of it.

Station Aficionado wrote:If only it had more than two trains a day ....

With just two trains a day, it's difficult to accept that it's a large Amtrak station.

electricron wrote:

Station Aficionado wrote:If only it had more than two trains a day ....

With just two trains a day, it's difficult to accept that it's a large Amtrak station.

The title of the thread is "Amtrak's Best Big-City Station," not "Amtrak's Best Big Station"! Tampa is not exactly the most cosmopolitan metropolis in the world, but I think it falls within the term "big city," certainly in the Amtrak context. And the station is definitely much nicer than the Amshacks in Florida's other two big cities, Miami and Jacksonville.

Not mentioned in the TRAINS article, and one could technically say the structure in reference is the adjacent 30th St Post Office, but time for a "Would You Believe It?" moment (TRAINS actually once had a "Department" titled such):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoyWsg6Dxno

I vote for:

1- 30th St, Phl.
2- Laupt.
3- Boston South
4- Newark Penn
5- Montreal Centrale
6- Albany

As a side note, Trenton has gotten a really nice remake as has Metropark. Both much more user friendly now.

Is it too late for me to change my entry ? (I didn't know that we could include Canada.)

http://photos.greatrails.net/showpic/?2 ... n&BOOL=ALL

The requirement was Amtrak service. Windsor Station, Montreal no longer has it. In fact it doesn't have any rail service any longer.

drewh wrote:The requirement was Amtrak service. Windsor Station, Montreal no longer has it. In fact it doesn't have any rail service any longer.

But Gare Centrale does (Adirondack).

Well if we can include our good neighbors to the North, how about putting Toronto Union Station on the list?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_Union_Station

Ridgefielder wrote:Well if we can include our good neighbors to the North, how about putting Toronto Union Station on the list?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_Union_Station

Well, it does have Amtrak service, plenty of trains, the requisite monumentality ....
I like both Toronto and Gare Central (on the interior, that is, especially the frieze with the words to "O, Canada"). Haven't ever been to Vancouver, so can't comment on Pacific Central.

Station Aficionado wrote:

Ridgefielder wrote:...how about putting Toronto Union Station on the list?

Well, it does have Amtrak service....

News to me.

The Maple Leaf is an interline train that is staffed by VIA operating an on-board crews while in Canada. The interline revenues are divided between the two carriers. A separate coupon is issued for travel over VIA Rail.

To say that an Amtrak train serves Toronto is like saying that the Seaboard served New York, the Great Northern served Chicago, or the Atlantic Coast Line Miami.

Station Aficionado wrote:

JasW wrote:It's not particularly large, but Tampa Union Station is a wonderful little 1912 Italian Renaissance wedding cake of a structure:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amtrak_-_Tampa_Union_Station.jpg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TUS_Exterior_Front.JPG

If only it had more than two trains a day ....

Only two trains a day is not the only problem. The station isn't really downtown and it doesn't connect with the trolley (a 1/4 mile to the east). There isn't any light rail in Tampa and the station is isolated. While I would agree that the architecture of the station is nice, and free long term parking is a plus, it doesn't make it one of Amtrak's best big city stations.

Gilbert B Norman wrote:

Station Aficionado wrote:

Ridgefielder wrote:...how about putting Toronto Union Station on the list?

Well, it does have Amtrak service....

News to me.

The Maple Leaf is an interline train that is staffed by VIA operating an on-board crews while in Canada. The interline revenues are divided between the two carriers. A separate coupon is issued for travel over VIA Rail.

To say that an Amtrak train serves Toronto is like saying that the Seaboard served New York, the Great Northern served Chicago, or the Atlantic Coast Line Miami.

I thought I remembered reading that the ML was operated by VIA and Amtrak in rotation--maybe that was just the equipment. I'll defer to Mr. Norman on this, and sadly move to strike Toronto from the list of Best Big-City Amtrak stations. It's still a fine building, though.