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State hosts meetings for new Tacoma Amtrak facility
It is time for a new picture. It is so boring seeing the same train picture over and over again!
I would like to see a picture of the old station and a rendering of the new facility.
The route going from Nisqually Delta to Tacoma does need replacing, it is a real dog leg. But also sad, the historic views from the Delta to downtown Tacoma all along the Puget Sound are just fantastic, and always my favorite part of the trip. Kind of like the Seattle Viaduct, terrible to look at, vulnerable to earthquake, over budget, and stalled. But views to die for.
Cheapism is why Kalmbach uses the same pictures over and over again. Of course that may also be fueled by greed on the part of the railfan community who might demand a payment for use of newer, more up to date pictures.
Why are they using federal funds for this station? If the people of Tacoma want a new station let them build it with city or regional tax dollars. I doubt if I will ever use this station yet I have to pay for it. The Goose is right!!
The old Milwaukee Road freight house that the Sounder uses as a depot is fantastic. Amtrak needs to remember "NEW’ isn’t always the best. Parking is available at that site. Using the freight house will be cheaper and will revitalize the area.
The newer route will have an excellent chance to serve a better population base. I will say the classic scenery will be missed. If the Coast Starlight was the only train serving Tacoma, than it wouldn’t be practical. But commuter trains and short-distance intercity rail corridors that are successful will concentrate on serving a lrger population base, so the new station makes sense.