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Richmond Region Transportation


wrldcoupe4

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If and when are they going to consolidate the Grey Hound Bus Terminal into downtown's newly renovated Main Street Station, b/c I heard some time ago that they were going to do so but as of lately i heard nothing about it!

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Yeah, they said that is the plan, but I have yet hear much about it either. Right now, the Main Street Station is nothing more than a glorified building renovation because even though Amtrak stops there like 4 times a day, hardly anyone embarks or disembarks there (an article recently said they had a total of about 20 people all day to get on or get off of a train - pretty pathetic). Not to mention, none of the other ideas have been realized regarding this "multimodal transportation center" because the buses have not been moved there, there are no streetcars yet to stop there and there is no light rail going to, even at least, the airport yet. Most of the train (Amtrak) passengers are getting on and off at the Staples Mill station, Richmond's other and main Amtrak station. So, I'm quite disappointed thus far in what has happened there, but gosh, you have got to see some photos of the inside of that place! One of THE most beautiful buildings I have ever seen! I'll try to find some photos and post them here.

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If and when are they going to consolidate the Grey Hound Bus Terminal into downtown's newly renovated Main Street Station, b/c I heard some time ago that they were going to do so but as of lately i heard nothing about it!

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Yeah, there isn't a specific timeline, at least that I'm aware of, that has been made public. They know where they want to put the new terminal...I did just find this though:

"The renovation firms, not content with the above, are already eyeing two more phases of construction they hope to finish by 2007. Parking is on the list of unfinished business. The building already has a 56-space pay lot adjacent to it. But by the end of next year, the city hopes to gain control of some land on the south side of Main St and turn it into a 100-space parking lot with a plaza and passenger drop-off. Additionally, the state plans to build a parking deck at the corner of 15th and Main streets by December 2005 and will reserve 350 spaces for the station.

Initially, Amtrak has four trains daily slopping at flic station-two northbound and two heading east to Williamsburg and Newport News.

But Staples Mill Station, located at 7519 Staples Mill Road in Henrico County, remains Amtrak's primary facility in the area because it has the track capacity and connections on the main north-south route between Washington, D.C. and Florida....

According to Amtrak, it takes an average 27 minutes to traverse the eight miles of track between the Main Street and Staples Mill stations. The main reason for slow train speeds-as low as 10 m.p.h. on certain track sections-is the congestion at Acca Yard, Amtrak officials said.

Well aware of the above problems, Viktoria Badger, the city's principal planner on trie Richmond rail service improvement project for 12 years, is nevertheless optimistic and confident that Main Steet Station is primed for growth.

The next step is bringing trains that originate at Staples Mill here, she noted. "That's really important and has been in the works with the state for more than a decade." This second phase of train service could begin within two to four years after improvements arc made to the CSX tracks, she added.

After that, the city hopes to turn the station into a multimodal transportation facility, Ms. Badger went on, with Greyhound moving its Richmond bus terminal from its current location on the Boulevard....

Within three years, he predicted, "You'll be able to get from Richmond to Washington in an hour and a half." Currently, the trip is scheduled to take two and one-half hours from Staples Mill Station. Riding from Main Street Station is expected to add at least 27 minutes-creating about a three-hour trip, according to Amtrak."

from here

So basically, the project is taking place in stages. The next section which will begin once the new state parking deck is complete is the creation of a new parking area underneath the "spaghetti works" which will be for Station and Bottom parking. After changes are made with the rail lines around congessted Acca Yards, MSS will take a larger role in the region's rail transit. Around then, the bus stations will be relocated adjacent to MSS. It will also be a terminus for the new streetcar system once that is up and running. and in the future light rail??

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  • 2 weeks later...

I reckon this will fit in here, though it could also go in the Richmond development section...

"Dressing up Broad Street

BY DAVID RESS

TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

May 2, 2005

Soon, it'll be just the red lights that slow you down on Broad Street downtown -- not the backhoes, orange cones and iron fences.

The $67 million, 20-month project to dress up downtown and tear down the old 6th Street Marketplace is nearing an end, said project manager Mike Laing, executive vice president of ECI Development Services.

The last big chore: the final layers of new asphalt on Broad Street itself.

"We're going to yank you around a little bit more, but the end is in sight," Laing said.

The paving will mean continued lane shutdowns, although Broad Street will remain open to two-way traffic. Laing expects the work to take two to three weeks.

When it is done, it'll allow a left turn from Broad at Fifth Street -- no more seven-block slog if you miss the turn at Eighth Street.

It'll be one of the biggest visible changes in a project that's been mostly about taking things away, including the failed 6th Street Marketplace shopping mall that was supposed to revitalize downtown, the old G.C. Murphy discount store building and what had to be one of the ugliest facades in Richmond -- the old Atlantic Life building on East Grace Street.

"The biggest single thing people will notice is that we now have a modern lighting system," Laing said.

Gone are the old "cobra-head" street lights, looming 30 feet above the street, casting bright spots of light but leaving deep pools of dark because they were spaced 120 feet apart. Instead, the new lights -- 16 feet high, so the trees won't block them -- stand 40 feet apart.

"Pedestrians won't see those dark places or worry about people lurking in shadows," Laing said.

Other visible signs of change include bright paint and new signs at the parking garages at Fifth and Marshall streets, Seventh and Marshall streets and Sixth and Franklin, where costly repairs to concrete and a massive cleanup job have restored a little-known historic landmark -- Richmond's first parking garage, built in 1924.

At several street corners, sidewalks swell to be 20 feet wide, instead of the old 12-foot width. Brick trim dresses up the new concrete. There are new crosswalks, and new directional signs for pedestrians and drivers are going up.

Work crews, meanwhile, are finishing shoring up sidewalks in the area, working now around the old Miller & Rhoads building. Like many older buildings, its basement extends out below the sidewalk, but the old beams support the sidewalk were crumbling.

Invisible, though, is the replacement of underground utilities in the area, including gas, water and sewer pipes, an effort Laing said should keep the streets from having to be torn up for years to come..........................."

whole article

Edited by wrldcoupe4
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Let's see what we come up with to improve this time around. I'm pretty pleased with 895 (except for the f*cking $2.00 toll), 288, and MSS:

"Transit summit is June 17

Regional meeting with local leaders will be first in seven years

Richmond Times-Dispatch

May 3, 2005

Hundreds of area leaders are expected to attend a June 17 summit on Virginia's transportation problems and their impact on the Richmond region.

Start your business with us!

The half-day meeting will be the first regional transportation summit in seven years. It will feature former Gov. Gerald L. Baliles, now chairman of the Regional Transportation Advocacy Board.

Former state Transportation Secretary Whitt Clement also will speak, along with the heads of two other sponsoring groups -- the Richmond Regional Planning District Commission and the Richmond Area Metropolitan Planning Organization.

Authorities on roads, rail, transit and air will be on the agenda.

"Our last transportation summit seven years ago resulted in a unique outpouring of ideas and cooperation," Baliles said in a statement.

The last summit led to the completion of Routes 288 and 895, the expansion of Richmond International Airport and the re-opening of Main Street Station, according to Baliles."

article

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If the city agrees to the final plan for the street car proposal, then the streetcar zone will be much larger than above in the end. Eventually, it will extend as far west as Carytown. I also like the look of light rail transit corridors and commuter rail lines. Hopefully this new transportation summit will work to address multimodal regional transporatation and put regional rail atop priorities. The highway system is pretty good, and the airport will be great after the expansion. High speed rail linking D.C., Richmond, hampton roads and beyond should be a focus, as well as local rail. Maybe they will discuss the future powhite parkway extension to hull st (rt 360).

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I've always thought that Main Street Station is an incredible building, and I wish that the Carolinian and Florida trains stopped there.

I've read in some places that the train barn at Main Street station will eventually be restored for VRE and/or TDX. Of course there are plans to improve the speed on the Bellwood Subdivision - the line that goes thru Main Street and meets back up with the DC-Florida mainline. It's slow now but SEHSR and the state of Virginia plan to eventually increase the MAS to as high as 79mph. I also saw a proposal in some PDF file somewhere (although I forget where) to add more through trackage on the Bellwood Sub. Electrification of the entire line from DC-Richmond is also on the long-range radar.

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I've always thought that Main Street Station is an incredible building, and I wish that the Carolinian and Florida trains stopped there.

I've read in some places that the train barn at Main Street station will eventually be restored for VRE and/or TDX. Of course there are plans to improve the speed on the Bellwood Subdivision - the line that goes thru Main Street and meets back up with the DC-Florida mainline. It's slow now but SEHSR and the state of Virginia plan to eventually increase the MAS to as high as 79mph. I also saw a proposal in some PDF file somewhere (although I forget where) to add more through trackage on the Bellwood Sub. Electrification of the entire line from DC-Richmond is also on the long-range radar.

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Hey man thanks for the info. Yea the train shed is supposed to be used for transportation down the road, once all the congestion around ACCA yards is fixed. It's a shame because I think it really holds MSS back from becoming the region's major rail station (staples mill is now the main one). Speaking of the train shed, the Richmond BRaves want to relocate to a new stadium in the bottom, next to MSS. They mentioned that they might be interested in converting the shed into some sort of commercial space, though I think because of its transportation potential, it won't happen. I believe that they want to restore it to its original look once it is being used for rail traffic again. Once the bus stations are relocated to next to MSS and the streetcar system is up and running all part of making it a multimodal center, there should be some more bustle going on. Not to mention if there was a light rail link to Richmond international airport. I didnt know about the electric rail all the way to d.c. but that sounds great!

here is a website about high speed rail; i cant remember if I've posted it already:

Virginians For High Speed Rail

here's another one:

Richmond to Hampton Roads High Speed Rail

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Seems to me that there are tons of plans, visions and ideas about a regional rail transit system, but heck, I'm ready to hear some concrete dates, money funded and "going to happens" soon. Even the trolley system envisioned for downtown was announced a couple of years ago and nothing has surfaced since. To me, this all gets way too frustrating. We need to get on the ball here! I'd love to know the current status, but who would you contact in regards to this?...VDOT, RR (who possible won't exist any longer?)?

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Seems to me that there are tons of plans, visions and ideas about a regional rail transit system, but heck, I'm ready to hear some concrete dates, money funded and "going to happens" soon.  Even the trolley system envisioned for downtown was announced a couple of years ago and nothing has surfaced since.  To me, this all gets way too frustrating.  We need to get on the ball here!  I'd love to know the current status, but who would you contact in regards to this?...VDOT, RR (who possible won't exist any longer?)?

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Well here's the thing with the streetcar system..... I contacted GRTC because they were in charge of doing the studies. They have completed their final study (I've posted a map from it on here). The person I spoke with Rob Hodder of GRTC who said that GRTC turned the info over to the city and referred me to Viktoria Badger, who is the principal planner at the department of public works. AFter initially trying to pass the buck back to GRTC, her second email on April 28 said,

"Hello - the Downtown Richmond Streetcar Study, Phase II Final Report is just

being presented to the City Administration. I'm not sure when it would be

presented to City Council. Thanks, Vickey"

So make what you will of that. It sounds promising but then kind of doesn't. Basically the city has not acted upon the Report. A suggestion: perhaps you could fill out a question form on Richmond.com for "ask the mayor". He seems to be pretty good at answering the ones they post. I did one for the streetcar proposal a couple days ago. Perhaps if there is more than one, he will feel compelled to respond and Richmond.com will feel compelled to publish the response. No guarantees though. I would realllllly like to see this project get off the ground. It would really compliment all of the new developments downtown.

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Thanks, Coupe, for the information. I'll go to Richmond.com and fill out a form today. Based on the article I read this morning in the RTD, it doesn't look like the city will be able to put a dime into anymore projects like this considering that next year they will be $7 million in the red. Hopefully, some sort of federal funds could be secured to, at least, help launch this project.

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Thanks, Coupe, for the information.  I'll go to Richmond.com and fill out a form today.  Based on the article I read this morning in the RTD, it doesn't look like the city will be able to put a dime into anymore projects like this considering that next year they will be $7 million in the red.  Hopefully, some sort of federal funds could be secured to, at least, help launch this project.

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Yea its pretty much sitting on the backburner right now, best that I can tell. I would think that it would be able to secure some federal and maybe state funds to help get it off the ground. I don't see this happening by 2007 though....

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OKay so this isnt a streetcar but if things like this are successful, perhaps it will make the streetcars more of a priority:

City's lunch-bus service extended through June

Downtown workers, restaurant owners glad to see express continue

BY PAIGE AKIN

TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER May 6, 2005

Richmonders are hungry for more rides on the lunch bus.

The free weekday service, sponsored by GRTC Transit System, was originally funded only through April 22. But downtown restaurant owners said they've seen a marked increase in lunchtime noshers, so the Lunch Time Express will keep on trucking through at least the end of next month.

The city found $30,861 in its Special Parking Revenue Fund to extend the service until June 30. Officials have also applied for a $128,000 state grant to continue the lunch bus through the end of 2006.

The city used $80,000 from its parking fund to pay for the program's original duration, Dec. 6 through April 22. Operational costs are about $135,000 annually.

"You really need a good year for this to work, so you can go through the seasonal changes," said Viktoria Badger, principal planner with the city's Department of Public Works.

The lunch bus got off to a big start in early December, with 609 riders the first week, but activity dipped around the holidays. Each month, ridership has dropped off a bit (1,268 in January, 1,193 in February, 984 in March and 916 in April), but GRTC expects numbers to pick up with the temperature.

"With the heat and humidity coming up, these are nice, beautiful, air-conditioned vehicles," Badger said. "Who wouldn't want to ride them?"....

...As summer approaches, the city and GRTC are working with restaurants to promote each other. For now, lunch-bus drivers are handing out purple-and-white stickers for riders to wear into some restaurants for discounted meals.

About 75,000 people work in, live in or visit downtown Richmond regularly and have about 80 restaurants to choose from at lunchtime. The lunch bus stops as far west as Third and Marshall streets and as far east as 17th and Main, near the Farmers' Market. There are nine stops in all.

"The reality is, when they leave the office, they probably know where they want to eat," Byrne said. "You just hope you're on that list."

The whole article is here

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  • 3 weeks later...

In today's ASK THE MAYOR column on Richmond.com, Wilder addressed the status of Main Street Station. He predicts that by 2008 the number of trains calling at the station will double to 8/9 per day (the odd "9" figures is a one-way-Friday-evening-only train from Newport News that presently terminates at Staples Mill station).

If and when Trans Dominion Expresses and the Southeast High Speed systems get approved, MSS (that's what Richmonders call Main Street Station) will be the hub, says Wilder. :)

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I saw that also... Sounds good to me, I wish they could get the High Speed rail working better between Richmond and D.C. Acca needs to be circumvented. Also I had heard that AMTRAK fuinding might not happen after 2006. Will this put MSS into jeopardy?

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Probably not, since it's in the Northeast Corridor, as is Newport News.

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I've pushed to divert Amtrak from Doswell via the new PRIVATELY OWNED tracks to Hanover Tavern, Atlee and other local stations (without stops), direct to MSS, but everybody thinks I'm crazy. I don't know why, except that trains would skip Ashland. Sounds like a speedier way to Richmond from the North to me!

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