Grand Forks on the Cutback List.
Amtrak has just announced its intention to stop staffing yet another of the stations on one of its long-distance routes.
Some weeks ago, the bell tolled for Hastings, Nebraska, a stop for the California Zephyr.
Next came Winona, Minnesota, which has about 30,000 residents, but is the stop made by the Empire Builder for people going to or coming from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, just 50 miles to the west.
This time the bell has rung for Grand Forks, North Dakota, the state’s third largest city with almost 100,000 people in the area. Grand Forks is also on the Empire Builder’s route. The long-time station agent, Mark Sivertson, is retiring and apparently Amtrak is simply not going to replace him.
These moves might make sense to the guys with the green eyeshades, but there are consequences—both economic and in terms of good will—that come as the result of unstaffed stations. No one is there to sell tickets; no one to answer questions; no one to handle checked baggage.
So I (and a couple of the other NARP directors) have a few questions:
– How many more stations are on Amtrak’s list to have staff eliminated?
– Will Amtrak make public any changes in ridership and revenue figures for the stations affected?
– Has it been suggested to the cities and towns affected that volunteers could be recruited to take over at least some of the responsibilities? And would Amtrak agree to train and nominally supervise those volunteers?
– What about soliciting proposals from private companies or individuals to take over the station buildings for shops or restaurants with reduced rent offered in exchange for providing some or even all of the services the Amtrak employees were delivering?
And to the government and civic leaders of Grand Forks and Winona and Hastings, and to the people representing those areas in Congress: What are you doing about this?
If I have anything to say about it, NARP is going to be posing these and other pertinent questions to Amtrak and to the appropriate public officials. I will report their responses, if any, in this space.
I don’t know North Dakota geography enough to understand why two North Dakota Amtrak stations in cities of substantially less population than Grand Forks generate more business.
On Great American Stations dot com I see that the Williston station, at $5,501,770, books about 5 times the business than the Grand Forks station at $1,153,317. And Minot books $3,750,277.
Yet both Williston and Minot have significantly less population.
Anyway, I think some of your alternative ideas about using volunteers and/or soliciting private companies makes sense.
It seems to me that’s what’s done in Lamar, Colorado. I believe The local Chamber of Commerce occupies that train station and volunteers assist passengers.
Williston is the center of all the new oil discoveries and has been a very busy station for the past few years with oil workers coming and going.
It is all about Land Use. Is the station a viable Place? Most are not. Making them Places is up to the city/town, not Amtrak.
Of course many stations are hopelessly positioned – such as the station in Savannah, GA. It is just the place; outside of ‘town’ and with no connectivity.
The station in Grand Rapids, MI used to be the same. A derelict little hovel on the corner of a bust intersection and backed up against an industrial building. Fortunately the city & state decided to build a new station – even laying new track to it – adjacent to the city’s bus/transit depot, across from large yet undeveloped buildings, and just down the block from the ballet and the largest brewery/pub. Our station still is not manned … as there is still only one train a day [sad]… but it is amidst activity so you barely notice; and you can easily and safely walk to useful destinations. This all makes it easier for people to imagine more trains and more station amenities. But to get that you need to address the town and other transportation providers; not Amtrak.
Re: your last point, if Amtrak is in effect abandoning a station it has staffed for many years, I believe the onus is on Amtrak to initiate an effort to find alternative ways to keep some minimal level of service going for their passengers. Of course, if a 3rd party steps up, fine.
Hear hear! It might not save every station, but any station saved this way, is a bonus.
Your points hit the mark. Ironically, in addition to your suggestions, there are also colleges in each of these towns where students could be hired for ticketing/baggage. Where is the bus depot in these towns; how easily would be to utilize the rail depot for intermodal services and retain the bus agent(s) to work the one train per day, each way?