by Suburban Station
gp80mac wrote: And what sense does it make to put the station on the edge of town at AP Green? Without seeing any kind of studies, I'd guess the majority of people using amtrak out of Middletown are driving to the station. So what does it matter if they get on their car in Middletown or just outside of Middletown? Except the fact that the airport stop would be closer to the I-283 connector. AP Green isn't in walking distance of a majority of Middletown residents as it is on the edge of town. It is still not within a reasonable walking distance (a couple of blocks) to downtown. Not like there's anything in "downtown" Middletown to brag about.actually, middletown residents do walk to their station. and your plan to further screw downtown will only solidify "the nothing to brag about." since the AP Green site is on the area's major road, it's just as accessible as the so called airport site.
gp80mac wrote:most people aren't going to take the train to the airport. the whole point of using middletown's airport is that parking is cheap and there's no traffic hassle. who is going to take a 7 times a day train to the airport for a connecting flight? not many. there's no reason the same shuttle bus that picks people up from economy parking can't also stop at the AP green station next door. more important is using the long term economy parking to serve both the train (trips to Philadelphia and NY) than serving the airport itself. more to the point, the peopel of MDT overwhelmingly rejected the airport site.
A HIA station would hopefully be closer to the actual terminal. The AP green site is just closer to the edge of their long term parking (but still a good distance away from the actual terminal). But if you are in a car, the difference between driving to AP Green and the airport is about 2 minutes, tops. CAT actually had a park and ride out of one of the lots near the airport.
gp80mac wrote:oh yeah, and it's also in middletown.
Of course the people in Middletown prefer their current station - the parking is FREE (both in the lot and on surrounding streets). They know any change in the location will mean they will have to pay to park their cars.
gp80mac wrote:and of course, crossing NS will have to be addressed so the taxpayer money argument is a red herring. I don't see any basis for your last point. trains have an economic impact like anything else. the faster the train and the larger the destinations, the more impact it will have. a developer has already stepped forward with plans for a TOD. throw in further upgrades and faster trains to Harrisburg, and it has a larger impact. you are essentially advocating the anti-urban policies that have dominated for the past 80 years
And of course the cost of an AP Green station will involve rebuilding and moving the M&H RR interchange AGAIN. More tax money flushed down the toilet. To think that moving the station at AP Green is suddenly going to revitalize downtown middletown is foolish. It's a train station.