Columbia SC wants to remove some RR tracks

[BaltACD]

If I remember correctly, back in the late 50's or early 60's my family rode the Silver Meteor from Jacksonville to Washington.  As I recall when the train made its station stop at Columbia there were multiple vendors on the platform selling peaches.

[railfanjohn]

These plans have been discussed in one form or another for at least the past 30 years.  In the 1980’s most of the tracks through downtown Columbia, the area now known locally as “The Vista”, were relocated into a deep cut through this area.  This eliminated over half a dozen street / rail crossings in a heavily trafficked part of town.  The second phase of that project re-located the Amtrak depot to the trackage in the cut and eliminated the nearly 1-mile long steel viaduct blue streak 1 refers to as “the SAL tressel”.  This involved a new grade for the CSX ‘S-Line’ circling around behind Elmwood Cemetery nearly 2 miles to reach the alignment of the tracks in the cut.  The former SAL depot (which until then was used by Amtrak for the Silver Star), is now a seafood restaurant and the tracks beside it are gone.  I remember many nights when the Silver Star stopped in Columbia blocking Grevais street for up to 30 minutes or longer.  The phase being talked about now will remove more street / rail crossings to the south of the Amtrak depot area.  Mainly along Huger Street, South Assembly Street, and Rosewood Drive.  I have seen a half dozen or more alternatives proposed. 

Have a look at:  http://assemblystreetrailproject.com  for more information.

 

I did find it interesting in the press conference blue streak 1 links to; there was a lot of talk about “collaboration”.  Yet I didn’t hear one word about the two railroads involved (CSX and NS) and their stake, and / or contribution to this project.  Nor were there any representatives of those two companies present.  So much for “collaboration”. 

 

I am not sure either what blue streak 1 is talking about here:  “One item will be inability to remove horse shoe around the approach end of RW27 at CAE airport.”  I don’t know what any of this project has to do with the Columbia airport nor do I know what the horse shoe around the runway is.  I know of no railroad tracks there.

[mudchicken]

Hopefully there are ongoing talks with the railroads involved and they have a professionally qualified consultant on-board. If the estimate is coming from a non-railroad civil professional (rubber-tired bubbas), those estimates could be way off.

120 years of doing zilch in a growing area? Telling.

[blue streak 1]

Following pure political talk.  Lot of words but not much substance or plans.  Lot of talk about SW portion needing track elimination.  That may be all way to Cayce  .  Many years ago the SAL tressel thru near downtown removed with moving Amtrak station.  One item will be inability to remove horse shoe around the approach end of RW27 at CAE airport.

Columbia to launch railroad realignment and removal project (msn.com)