Colorail is disappointed by plans for Denver Union Station, but hopeful

The Colorado Rail Passenger Association (Colorail) would like to offer its position on the future of Denver's historic Union Station. The station's continued use for passenger rail was the basis for our founding more than 20 years ago and our members have continued to attempt to be active in the planning process.

 

As such, we believe that Union Station must remain in public hands to protect the public's interest in the expanding the station's role as a public transit hub. Our transportation agencies must retain control of transportation operation and of expansion opportunities .

 

Union Station must maintain and improve its transportation function. Amtrak must be moved back into the station, and should be able to add service. Private train cars should be able to operate from the station. Intercity buses should be able to connect with trains at the station.

 

Union Station must remain a hub for connecting passengers with easy access for bus riders, pedestrians, bikes, taxis, private vehicles and Mall shuttles. It should be a friendly environment for waiting passengers, passersby, business customers, and tourists. Since Union Station will serve all rail and many bus routes throughout the region, it would be an ideal location for public events, concerts and exhibits.

 

The future functionality of Union Station must be protected to allow for growth, including future Amtrak services, and through tracks for efficiency.

 

Colorail members have observed that Union Station has the potential to be the main focal point of downtown because it will be surrounded by commerce, unlike many other cities where rail stations are on the edge of business districts or on isolated islands surrounded by hostile highways. The right collection of tenants could help make this a reality.

(This is a rewrite that I did of a letter by another Colorail member for a local newspaper.)

My Hope for Colorado

My hope for Colorado is a future where we don't need a car to get around. I hope for good bus service throughout the Denver area, even on Sundays. I hope (and work for) hourly trains north to Cheyenne and south to Albuquerque, connecting all the cities and towns along the Front Range. I hope for passenger service in the mountains revived to reduce the isolation of some of our mountain towns. I hope that we can save money on road repair by running buses between all our cities and towns.

We in Colorado are famous for our love of nature. We should not have to destroy it to get around.

Train Day - New Mexico

New Mexico is celebrating train day with an art contest for children and entertainment in downtown Albuquerque.

The deadline for the art contest is Friday, May 6. Children ages 6-12 are invited to design a cover for the RailRunner's magazine. The drawing must be on an 8-1/3 by 11 piece of paper and can be a drawing or painting. Color is encouraged! Send the artwork along with your name, your parent's name, your address, and a phone number or email to Inez Russell. care of The Santa Fe New Mexican, 202 E. Marcy Street, Santa Fe, NM 87701

Performances, art, and lots of trains are going to featured at the Alvarado Transportation Center at 1st and Central right next to the tracks in Albuquerque this Saturday from 1 to 5pm. Local dance troops will perform flamenco, hip hop, modern, and other forms of dance. You can go inside Amtrak, BSNF, and Rail Runner cars and a historic bus. You can see lots of model trains. You can watch FREE movies. You can eat food from local vendors. You tour a new transportation museum.

And you can take the train there!

Railfan? There is a social network for you

The RailBook is a new social network just for railfans. It is also a great resource for people just looking for information as the members know almost everything that there is to know about trains.

And here is an unrelated video from one of my favorite railfans:

Train Day - Colorado

As a part of National Train Day, Saturday May 7, Gary Carter is organizing his annual excursion from Trinidad, Colorado to Las Vegas, NM and back. Friends, family, Colorail members and the crew of the PV Bedford, RPCA 1099 will be making the trip. Train #3 leaves Trinidad at 9:50am and arrives in Las Vegas at 12:38pm. The group will then walk to a cafe downtown for lunch. The return trip leaves Las Vegas at 3:03pm to arrive in Trinidad at 5:50pm.

There may be a van going down from Denver to take Colorail members to the event. Send me a message if you are interested reserving a seat on the van.

If you have transportation to Trinidad, send an email to Gary at pueblosilver@yahoo.com.

Train tickets are being bought by each individual participant, and are currently $42. They can be bought through the Amtrak website.

There is Actually No Drinking on This Train

35 Shots of Rum has a similar shot of a control board of trains as in the beginning of The Taking of Pelham 123 although this one pans out to be much bigger. This is very much a railfan movie with a plot. There are multiple shots from the perspective of an RER train engineer (one of the main characters) as the train moves through the suburbs of Paris. (Yes, the movie in French.)

Here is one of the trailers, although unfortunately the one where the train conductor says that he is NOT drinking does not have English subtitles:

This is very much a film with the rhythm of a train journey. There is never a time when nothing is happening, but everything happens at its own speed. The train moves with the same rhythm that the family that is the focus of the film changes, a family that changes from a father and daughter into two couples who are oriented toward the outside world.

I was lucky enough to see this on TV, but if you missed it, you can still see it on the Link TV website.

In a sense this a remake of Late Spring by Yasujiro Ozu. In fact, the cityscape as a character is apparently something that director Clair Denis took from Ozu. Denis and Ozu are probably most alike in their sense of the visual. One of the actors said that Claire Denis choreographs her actors as much as she directs them. This may be what makes the movement of the train fit so well with the rest of the film.

Finally, here is a gentleman who is as attractive as Alex Descas, but who is a real train conductor on the RER:

In Omaha on Saturday? Want to support trains?

ProRail Nebraska is going to celebrate Earth Day with a Green Transportation Booth at the Earth Day Omaha Celebration in Elmwood Park from noon to 6 pm. Elmwood Park is just east of the University of Nebraska campus.

If you can volunteer for one hour, please email Clyde Anderson at ClydeLAnderson@Cox.net or call him at 402-740-5556.

I wish I could go; the time and the weather forecast (cloudy, but no rain) are perfect for me.