Station Developments

Couple updates:

Coatesville construction began last week.

Newport News' new site is under construction, but mostly still land moving at this point.

Ashland looks beautiful and well done.

Do you still have to stand at the station in Ashland and guess whether the headlight down the track is CSX or AMTRAK and cross over in front of it when it gets close enough to tell? Or have they done something to rectify this unsafe practice?

WashingtonPark wrote: ↑Wed Oct 27, 2021 1:34 pm Do you still have to stand at the station in Ashland and guess whether the headlight down the track is CSX or AMTRAK and cross over in front of it when it gets close enough to tell? Or have they done something to rectify this unsafe practice?

From what I can tell via Virtual Railfan, you still have to cross.

They’ve added PIDs and enabled the incoming train crew to make announcements about what track the train will be arriving on.

KTHW wrote: ↑Wed Oct 27, 2021 7:10 pm They’ve added PIDs and enabled the incoming train crew to make announcements about what track the train will be arriving on.

That's definitely a welcomed improvement.

The ADA-compliant pedestrian crossing at Ashland VA Amtrak (one of many in town, typically old bits of railroad tie), is still pending. As I was watching the live feed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDpPlRcoank&t=0s to check its status just now, a child walked out and stood on the rail.

Ashland town website: '10/18/2021 - The Amtrak Train Platform Upgrade project is considered “Substantially Complete”. All that is left is to add some final touches to the glass canopy and some other odds and ends. Items still on the horizon are the Passenger Information Display System (PIDS) to be installed by the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (formerly Virginia Department of Rail & Public Transportation) and the upgraded pedestrian crossing to be installed by CSX. We still have no schedule for these but are continuing to work with these organizations to add to the improvements here at The Center of the Universe.'

STrRedWolf wrote: ↑Wed Oct 27, 2021 3:56 pm

WashingtonPark wrote: ↑Wed Oct 27, 2021 1:34 pm Do you still have to stand at the station in Ashland and guess whether the headlight down the track is CSX or AMTRAK and cross over in front of it when it gets close enough to tell? Or have they done something to rectify this unsafe practice?

From what I can tell via Virtual Railfan, you still have to cross.

You'll still have to cross. See the illustration of how it will be on the previous page of this thread.

KTHW wrote: ↑Wed Oct 27, 2021 7:10 pm They’ve added PIDs and enabled the incoming train crew to make announcements about what track the train will be arriving on.

If, as I assume, this refers to Ashland, it still doesn't eliminate the guess-whose-headlight game mentioned by Washington Park; if the inbound train crew has to make the announcement the train is already pulling in and it's too late to change sides if you guessed wrong. You don't want to get your heel caught in the flangeway while the train is bearing down on you. I witnessed a similar situation at Camarillo on the Pacific Surfliner, where there is no grade crossing, but elevators, stairways, and an overhead walkway -- a serious delay if the train has to wait for passengers to cross over. The conductor told me the UP dispatcher never lets them know ahead of time what track he's going to put them on. This is a really basic problem which needs to be sorted out and should be before something bad happens. (Either that or reconfigure tracks and station to provide an island platform -- much cheaper to improve communication, one would think ...)

Ashland needs a minimum of 3 tracks, North, South and bypass.

R&DB wrote: ↑Thu Oct 28, 2021 7:55 pm Ashland needs a minimum of 3 tracks, North, South and bypass.

Google Maps Sat view of the station

Um... 3 tracks means the bypass has to go around the entire city... which VA state wants to do anyway.

Yes, bypass the whole city instead of slow street running. CSX is very busy thtrough there as is Amtrak. That's why I said 3 tracks.

Sob, Sob; what will railfan students at Randolph-Macon College think about that?

One member around here, who occasionally makes the scene, is a graduate of RMC and has noted how he could view the action out the living room windows of his frat house.

Mr. Norman;
Perhaps keep the street route for the regionals and build the bypass for CSX and the LDs. And put a station in the burbs on the bypass.

ExCon90 wrote: ↑Thu Oct 28, 2021 7:13 pm

KTHW wrote: ↑Wed Oct 27, 2021 7:10 pm They’ve added PIDs and enabled the incoming train crew to make announcements about what track the train will be arriving on.

I witnessed a similar situation at Camarillo on the Pacific Surfliner, where there is no grade crossing, but elevators, stairways, and an overhead walkway -- a serious delay if the train has to wait for passengers to cross over.

The volunteers at Ashland tell me delays are not a problem there. If a freight is going by the station and an Amtrak train pulls up on the other side they'll just drop off the passengers and take off leaving those at the station behind.

R&DB wrote: ↑Fri Oct 29, 2021 9:09 am Mr. Norman;
Perhaps keep the street route for the regionals and build the bypass for CSX and the LDs. And put a station in the burbs on the bypass.

Believe it or not, the town is an outlier. When presented with bypassing, sinking the track below street level or keeping it the way it was Ashland actually preferred keeping the status quo.