New St. Louis Amtrak station opens

The famous AmShack is no more! St. Louis Today carries today’s landmark development (Yes, this is looking like St. Louis Day on Trains for America.).

Amtrak begins using Gateway Center in St. Louis By Elisa Crouch ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH 11/19/2008 ST. LOUIS — Amtrak trains began using the new Gateway Transportation Center in downtown St. Louis early today, marking the end to the “temporary” buildings passengers used for 30 years. The new glass-and-steel center on South 15th Street, near the Scottrade Center, also serves as a depot for Greyhound buses. It has four train platforms and 10 bus bays. Bus passengers began using the building in June. Construction began on the $27 million building in 2006. Amtrak was expected to move into the station in the fall of 2007, but work fell behind schedule. Most recently, track work and platform construction kept Amtrak from moving into the building.

Now, all that remains is for somebody to found the Amtrak Double-wide Temporary Station Historic Preservation Society.

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Filed under: Amtrak, Regional USA Passenger Rail

You (yes, you) could name the St. Louis-Kansas City Amtrak service

The Missouri Department of Transportation is holding a contest to decide on a new name for Amtrak’s newly renewed cross-state service. Apparently they weren’t satisfied with the current title of the route, the insprired “Missouri Service.” The grand prize is two round trip sleeper car tickets to any Amtrak destination in the United States. Unfortunately, although you don’t have to be a Missouri resident to enter (and presumably, have your name choice selected) you do have to be one to win a prize.

There will be three phases to the contest. First, submit your favorite name between now and Dec. 10. Contest entries may be submitted online morail.org; mailed to MoDOT, Name the Train Contest, P.O. Box 270, Jefferson City, MO 65102; or hand-delivered to any MoDOT district office (locations at modot.org). Contest rules are posted at the morail.org website.

Contest judges will select five names as finalists. Between, Dec. 16, 2008 and Jan. 16, 2009, voting will be conducted online or by a post card indicating your favorite finalist name. The new name will be announced by January 30, 2009.

A nice new name is a nice way to stop a state sponsored Amtrak route from looking like a burden, and rather paint it as something the region can be proud of.

Filed under: Amtrak, Regional USA Passenger Rail