New Grand Rapids Amtrak Station - Vern J Ehlers

[Saturnalia]

GRAND RAPIDS (WZZM) -- Construction on Grand Rapids' new Amtrak station is finally underway.

The groundbreaking for the $5.1-million station was held in 2011, but actual work began this week.

The station will be named after former Congressman Vern Ehlers. It's located just south of the Rapids Central Station near the Wealthy Street overpass.

Work was delayed because of disputes between MDOT and the company which own the railroad.

Construction is expected to wrap up in December, with the connections available starting in 2014.

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/article/2593 ... n-underway

Good thing I've been getting all the angles around the current station, cause the days are finally numbered!

This is a general diagram of the new station for those who are unfamiliar with it. It was adopted from the B. P. Beavers 1995 maps, and you can see some of AMTK1007's pencil markings. Anyway, the new station siding is not exact, just a representation of the new spur.

New Grand Rapids, MI (GRR) Amtrak Station by MQT3001, on Flickr

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Skipping to 2014, here are two videos, the first shows the last two trains to use the old station, and the second is the full Grand Opening Ceremony at the new facility!

[wyrickj]

It's about time they started construction. Hopefully it will have A/C inside the waiting area unlike the current station and maybe some real staff that work there . When I rode Amtrak for the first time out of the current depot I was stunned how outdated the place really was and how there really was no boarding platform unlike some of the Metra stations I've boarded from. I'm glad to see GR finally get something so much better that likely will beat the old Union Station hopefully .

[donnieland]

alex
I think you will find the switch for the station will tie into the main right under the outside sb lane of 131,
orginal power switches for penn. rr going north to mackinaw city were placed there due to 131 construction. the area signals and power switches from century ave to franklin ave were controlled from pleasant st tower.

[Patriot]

Definitely needed! But still find it hard to believe that the new station will cost over $5 million --- must gonna use golden rail spikes on the new spur!!

[Saturnalia]

alex
I think you will find the switch for the station will tie into the main right under the outside sb lane of 131,
orginal power switches for penn. rr going north to mackinaw city were placed there due to 131 construction. the area signals and power switches from century ave to franklin ave were controlled from pleasant st tower.

That is what I am hearing too, like I said the alignment is not necessarily correct.

I wonder if, the conflict between the station builders and CSX, was in part CSX stalling the work to happen around the time of the new signalling, in an effort to only have to deal with it once?

[CSX_CO]

I wonder if, the conflict between the station builders and CSX, was in part CSX stalling the work to happen around the time of the new signalling, in an effort to only have to deal with it once?

CSX was probably stalling to make sure the money for the project came through, and construction started, before adding additional switches, signals, interlockings, etc. to their side of things.

If CSX wanted, there is/was no reason they couldn't do the signal work, track work, switch work, etc before the station was built, and just leave a small 'stub' until the line to the station is needed. They probably didn't want to be left holding the bill should the project fall though.

Practice Safe CSX

[Mark F]

Note: US 131 is mislabeled I-196.

[Saturnalia]

Note: US 131 is mislabeled I-196.

Yes, I never fixed that. Beavers did it, not me

[J T]

Note: US 131 is mislabeled I-196.

Yes, I never fixed that. Beavers did it, not me

Beavers must have been smokin' something at the time.

[Proto48Patrick]

I wonder who the general contractor is.

[Raildudes dad]

I wonder who the general contractor is.

The construction manager is Erhardt. No ID on the loader or excavator on site

[trnwatcher]

I wonder if, the conflict between the station builders and CSX, was in part CSX stalling the work to happen around the time of the new signalling, in an effort to only have to deal with it once?

I heard a conversation between a signal maintainer and the RN late last fall. Sounds like the delay was that CSX was not brought into the conversation until late in the planning and the major delay was that they where going to have to rewrite the code for the signaling between Pleasant St and Lamar due to the changes brought about from the new depot location. It sounded from their conversation that tracks 1 and 2 will be signaled bi-directionally and that a wye will actually be installed on the depot access lead. This will allow push pull service to enter and leave with out any back up moves and single powered trains to back in and head out in the AM. RN was saying that the plan she had seen was also calling for the cross overs between Century and Grandville Ave to be moved east of the Conrail runner lead to allow access to the depot from tracks 1 or 2. This could partly be the reason for the $5M price tag.

[Saturnalia]

I wonder if, the conflict between the station builders and CSX, was in part CSX stalling the work to happen around the time of the new signalling, in an effort to only have to deal with it once?

I heard a conversation between a signal maintainer and the RN late last fall. Sounds like the delay was that CSX was not brought into the conversation until late in the planning and the major delay was that they where going to have to rewrite the code for the signaling between Pleasant St and Lamar due to the changes brought about from the new depot location. It sounded from their conversation that tracks 1 and 2 will be signaled bi-directionally and that a wye will actually be installed on the depot access lead. This will allow push pull service to enter and leave with out any back up moves and single powered trains to back in and head out in the AM. RN was saying that the plan she had seen was also calling for the cross overs between Century and Grandville Ave to be moved east of the Conrail runner lead to allow access to the depot from tracks 1 or 2. This could partly be the reason for the $5M price tag.

If this is true, two things. #1, I feel better about the station's location. 2nd, yeah, that is the reason for $5 Million.

But wouldn't moving the xovers east mean the GDLK would have to reverse to get up to the GRE?

[DLM]

A west facing switch allows the push/pull train to enter and exit quickly. An east facing switch like shown on the map requires a slow protected backup move to enter and exit adding transit time to the Pere Marquette's schedule. Maybe it was more important to have a straight station platform than a curved one. Maybe the architect had no clue how railroads work......

Move crossovers for two trains per day on a low density line? I doubt it. CSX milking the project for as much money as possible? Absolutely!!!

[Proto48Patrick]

I wonder who the general contractor is.

The construction manager is Erhardt. No ID on the loader or excavator on site

You know where I can find more info on the job Tom? More specifically the amount of federal/state/local funds breakdown maybe

[donnieland]

the old track layout before the tracks were removed would work real good for the wye configuration.
using old layout from conrail, penn. rr days. just to the west of the points of the hugart runner switch
and number 2 tk were the points to the west track of conrail that went north toward fuller, the conrail
track crossed #1 tk via diamond and con't to the north. add a west leg of a wye from the station to the
csx #1 track and you have access both ways to the station.
370 arrives and pulls down on the runner, rn lines runner to station track and 370 backs into station.
when 371 departs in morning they use the west leg of the wye to #1 tk and cross over to 2 tk at godfrey
same as they do now. the crossover at Grandville would only need to be moved as needed to place the wye
switch, it will still end up between Grandville and century.
if csx doesn't want a diamond , then reinstall the power switch that was between #2 tk to #1 tk at pleasant
st tower ( reason why the signals are at franklin st bridge ) then add a switch at west side of 131 for station.
first way needs 3 new switches and a diamond and the other needs 5 switches no diamond.

[Saturnalia]

There is room to move the Hughart Runner a bit and fit a crossover between it and the Amtrak Runner.

https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=4 ... 2&t=h&z=19

[Saturnalia]

Alright. Not totally sure if this is one of the alignments previously mentioned or not. Anyway, I think it would end up being the best, at least in theory. Everyone can enter and then exit on any track, except GDLK cannot go east on the PM. I did a little speculation on the signals, including Madison if they do signal in both directions. Feel free to alert me to anything that is different than pictured here layout wise, and I will make note and put out something more consistent with reality. I only did this one as a piece of theory:


Godfrey & Pleasant St Reworking by MQT3001, on Flickr

Note for instance that I cut back the Old 17 to stop short of Godfrey. I know it takes time and $$$ to do that, but there is not a whole lot of use for it beyond Godfrey at this point. Put it before the Godfrey signals and make it hand-throw, and you leave out one headache, although having a hand-throw might be troublesome at some point for efficiency with Z739 and Y106 using it. Again, another piece of theory.

[Capt. Picard]

Someone mentioned the possibility of the station being staffed.
Per a contact at MDOT, states have to pay if they want things like station agents now. That said, MDOT was discussing moving the agent at Port Huron to Grand Rapids, but nothing came of it. I think part of that is because the current building doesn't even have the space for an agent (correct me if I'm wrong).

[Raildudes dad]

I wonder who the general contractor is.

The construction manager is Erhardt. No ID on the loader or excavator on site

You know where I can find more info on the job Tom? More specifically the amount of federal/state/local funds breakdown maybe

$3.8 from the Feds. I can't find an official funding chart but pretty sure it requires D-B wages.

1 west facing swithc between Century and Grandville would suffice for the station lead. Use the existing wye if only 1 unit. Hand throw switch would be adequate for 2 trains a day. IMHO, the design team was and is incomptent