• Missing Connections

  • General discussion of passenger rail systems not otherwise covered in the specific forums in this category, including high speed rail.
General discussion of passenger rail systems not otherwise covered in the specific forums in this category, including high speed rail.

Moderators: mtuandrew, gprimr1

  by RandallW
 
Today I noticed that while Caltrain's Bayshore station and Muni's Sunnydale station (T line) are only 1000 ft from each other across an empty and fenced off lot, the only walking route between the two stations is about 3300 ft, past Arieta station (T line), which is 1500 ft from the station). I can't comment on the usefulness (or not) of having that connection between the two stations, to allow someone to travel between SE San Francisco and CalTrain destinations south of San Francisco although I do see that there has been consideration of moving the Bayshore Station south and extending the T line to it.

But that got me thinking: Where else are there missing (or removed) connections between transit systems, and should they be built (or restored)?

Looking at the transit view in Apple Maps, it seems to me that I can start a list of missing connections that seem obvious on maps, but which I can't tell would be useful or not:
  by MACTRAXX
 
RW - In these two instances the answer is simply NO for any direct connection between rail routes -

1-Chicago Transit Authority:
The CTA Jackson Park Line (before 1993 color name change) on East 63rd Street once ran one mile further
east to 63/Stony Island...The Metra Electric station is 3/4 of a mile east of the current end of the E. 63 route
at 63/Cottage Grove...Back in 1982 this L structure began to be truncated westward with the condemnation
(and subsequent demolition) of the truss bridge over the IC (now Metra) Electric Line...During the mid 1990s
CTA's Green Line was closed for re-construction - and in this instance a local Woodlawn (neighborhood name)
NIMBY group fought to keep this mile of L structure from being fully restored to its original terminal...

2-SEPTA in SW Philadelphia:
The ending of the #36 Trolley route is about one mile from the RRD Eastwick Station on the Airport Line...
I have walked between these stations on the paralleling roads - there is no direct SEPTA bus connection...
Connecting these two routes would either require an (expensive) surface extension of the #36 Trolley SW
or moving the RRD Eastwick Station north to directly interface with the current #36 Trolley loop terminal.

In both of these examples the low (or no) amount of possible connecting riders is not worth the high
expenditure of funding that would be required to construct new route extensions...MACTRAXX
Last edited by MACTRAXX on Sun Sep 15, 2024 6:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
  by RandallW
 
I know there is no direction connection between those routes, that's why I listed them. The questions are should there be direction connections, why or why not, and where else are their gaps like that?
  by HenryAlan
 
RandallW wrote: Sat Sep 14, 2024 2:57 pm Looking at the transit view in Apple Maps, it seems to me that I can start a list of missing connections that seem obvious on maps, but which I can't tell would be useful or not:
There is some very preliminary planning for extending the C Line to Norwalk/Santa Fe Springs, but likely won't happen until the 2050s, based on available funding options.
  by Bob Roberts
 
I’ll add three gaps between transit and Amtrak stations:
  • Miami Metrorail station to Amtrak. It is a doable 1/2 mile walk through an interesting neighborhood (I was attacked by a rooster). But a short sidewalk along the tracks to the north from the TriRail station could cut the walk in half
  • Charlotte CATS Blue Line Parkwood Station to the current Amtrak station. One third mile as crow flies is a mile walk through some of Charlotte’s roughest areas. The NS rail yard separates the two and a new station is planned but stalled. No real way to fix this one beyond getting the new downtown station done
  • The absence of any real transit connection to Richmond Staples Mill still feels glaring to me. Extending the BRT line up to RSM seems like a pretty minimal change and would make the city much more accessible to a significant number of Amtrak passengers. Making all trains stop at the downtown station would be an even easier solution (just gotta fix those tracks to the South)
Last edited by Bob Roberts on Wed Sep 18, 2024 2:34 pm, edited 3 times in total.
  by scratchyX1
 
Bob Roberts wrote: Wed Sep 18, 2024 10:08 am I’ll add two gaps between transit and Amtrak stations:
  • Miami Metrorail station to Amtrak. It is a doable 1/2 mile walk through an interesting neighborhood (I was attacked by a rooster). But a short sidewalk along the tracks to the north could cut the walk in half
  • Charlotte CATS Blue Line Parkwood Station to the current Amtrak station. One third mile as crow flies is a mile walk through some of Charlotte’s roughest areas. The NS rail yard separates the two and a new station is planned but stalled. No real way to fix this one beyond getting the new downtown station done
https://youtu.be/XjkSZBeOdxQ?si=PnlL9fb_GRT-1-J_ we have video of that chicken attack.
  by ExCon90
 
In San Francisco the distance between Sunnydale and Bayshore is as much vertical as horizontal; from Sunnydale you can get a splendid aerial view of the 4-track (at that point) Bayshore station far below.
  by marketagitated
 
The Red and Blue lines are close near downtown Boston, but there’s no direct connection. Passengers currently transfer via the Orange or Green Line, or walk through a lengthy route. Plans for a direct connection have been considered, but high costs have delayed it.
  by west point
 
If #20 is veery late into ATL all connections to the MARTA bus line are lost. Time to change the departure time at NOL back until at least 0700 or earlier.
  by electricron
 
west point wrote: Wed Oct 30, 2024 8:26 pm If #20 is veery late into ATL all connections to the MARTA bus line are lost. Time to change the departure time at NOL back until at least 0700 or earlier.
????I don't understand this logic?????????
You want to move up the Crescent's departure time from New Orleans to 0700 or earlier so that IF the Crescent is really late in Atlanta the Atlanta buses will still be running.
Come on man, who in New Orleans will be up and about and not drunk with a hangover at 0700?
All for an IF. You must be kidding!
  by west point
 
duplication
Last edited by west point on Thu Oct 31, 2024 10:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
  by west point
 
Well, that time worked for many years. The time change appears to have been done so the Meridian Crew would have a legal layover time after arriving on 19 the night before. 19's arrival became later at that schedule change.
Note the NOL - Anniston rider numbers did not increase enough to the loss / tank the Atlanta rider numbers.
Second note: ATL riders are down over 25,000.
  by STrRedWolf
 
west point wrote: Wed Oct 30, 2024 8:26 pm If #20 is veery late into ATL all connections to the MARTA bus line are lost. Time to change the departure time at NOL back until at least 0700 or earlier.
I looked at Atlanta Peachtree station and immediately wanted to move it. A bus connection that isn't 24/7 is NOT a connection at all. BWI gets away with this by providing 24/7 bus service. Newark Liberty Airport gets away with it by providing a monorail line.

Now I won't suggest the cheap way to fix this (move the Amtrak station to the Brookhaven MARTA station, where there's plenty of parking and the rail connection) or the ideal solution (build underground railline under a rail-to-trail section and build a new station at ML King station MARTA) or the convoluted solution (build a central station next to CNN Tower and figure out how to physically turn the train around). No, I'll deeply consider just flying in for when a convention starts.