It seems to me that Amtrak Stations particulay older ones never have enough parking. The Station near me is used by people who take Amtrak to the Airport in the big city and leave there car open to vandles and towing by parking in the wrong lot for too long.
The parking lot at the Solana Beach station seems to fill up by about 8AM - the station is used by both Amtrak and the Coaster, with most of the passengers commuting on both the Coaster and Amtrak.
I don't like to leave my car in even long term parking lots for days at a time or even over night. I use public transit to get to the station. If possible I use a local bus or light rail. Considering what parking costs in the northeast is is cheaper to take a cab to the station than to pay for parking and I have done that at times. My most frequent trip is from New York to Providence. For that I take a bus to NJT's Bloomfield Station and a train to NY Penn Station.
No. But at least the parking that is available is free.
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
NY state in the investment in rail starting in the 1970s looked at the rail system of a extension of its highway system and expanded parking and roadways signs directing people to train stations. Cleveland Parking is nightmare better to move station up one block to parking garage, Albany seems to be a mess too, Buffalo is fine, Toledo is questionable. Even small towns line Connelsville PA ( Capital Limited) seem lacking in parking.
Finding a parking spot at the Austin Amtrak Station is no problem. Finding your vehicle when you return could be a problem. That's why the parking lot has several big signs advising motorists not to park there overnight.
I usually park at the Taylor station, which is about 28 miles from my house, although calling it a station is a stretch. It is more like a picnic pavilion. It reminds me of the Greyhound flag stop near my uncles dairy farm. And the streets getting to and from the stop are best traversed with an Armored Personnel Carrier or similar heavy duty vehicle. Worse streets that I have ever seen in the U.S.
Overlooking the Taylor disadvantages, I park there because it is a UP crew change point. The UP building is open 24/7 for the crews coming and going. Amongst them are some big old boys. I figure any wannbe car thief is not going to mess with them. Moreover, the night lighting reminds me of Stalag 17. I have never had a problem parking there.
The best Amtrak parking between Dallas and San Antonio is at Temple. It has plenty of spaces and good lighting. Moreover, the police station is just a block away. Even the most daring Texas car thieves know not to mess with Texas coppers.
Parking in Dallas, Fort Worth, and San Antonio, the other cities that I know of, at least for station parking, is available, but it costs somewhere in the neighborhood of $7 to $10 a day.
Sam1 although calling it a station is a stretch. It is more like a picnic pavilion. It reminds me of the Greyhound flag stop near my uncles dairy farm. And the streets getting to and from the stop are best traversed with an Armored Personnel Carrier or similar heavy duty vehicle. Worse streets that I have ever seen in the U.S.
although calling it a station is a stretch. It is more like a picnic pavilion. It reminds me of the Greyhound flag stop near my uncles dairy farm. And the streets getting to and from the stop are best traversed with an Armored Personnel Carrier or similar heavy duty vehicle. Worse streets that I have ever seen in the U.S.
Do we call it an "Ampicnicpavilion" instead of an "Amshack"? And is the cratered access road an "Amdriveway"? Or maybe a train travel discouragement zone?
If GM "killed the electric car", what am I doing standing next to an EV-1, a half a block from the WSOR tracks?
I'm not even sure there is a lot at my station.
Its an urban one and there's a Metro station literally across the tracks, so....well work that one out yourself.
Paul Milenkovic Sam1 although calling it a station is a stretch. It is more like a picnic pavilion. It reminds me of the Greyhound flag stop near my uncles dairy farm. And the streets getting to and from the stop are best traversed with an Armored Personnel Carrier or similar heavy duty vehicle. Worse streets that I have ever seen in the U.S. Do we call it an "Ampicnicpavilion" instead of an "Amshack"? And is the cratered access road an "Amdriveway"? Or maybe a train travel discouragement zone?
Very good! It is a train travel discouragement zone. But a few of us are too old to know any better.
Sam,
I'm kind of surprised that you, of all people, would complain about inadequate stations. It certainly is true that some stations are minimal, to say the least. But Amtrak continues to spend a lot of money to restore stations that are really much bigger than it needs. Much of this money is spent for historic preservation. I myself wonder if that is a valid use of transportation funds.
John
John WR Sam, I'm kind of surprised that you, of all people, would complain about inadequate stations. It certainly is true that some stations are minimal, to say the least. But Amtrak continues to spend a lot of money to restore stations that are really much bigger than it needs. Much of this money is spent for historic preservation. I myself wonder if that is a valid use of transportation funds. John
Amtrak does not own any stations in Texas. The stations are owned by the cities. Amtrak pays no rent or only nominal rents for the station facilities that it uses. Moreover, most of the station restoration projects that Amtrak touts, at least the ones in Texas, have been paid for by the communities that own them.
My post was a bit tongue in cheek.
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