$100,000 to study potential CSSSB station in New Carlisle

[ScottFlood]

St. Joseph County officials and the South Shore are spending $100,000 for a study to determine whether it makes sense to add a station in New Carlisle (where I believe there may have been a station some years ago).

Heck, I'd do the study for half that!

https://wsbt.com/news/local/officials-consider-train-station-along-south-shore-line-in-new-carlisle?fbclid=IwAR1mdlfFml8aXFJFD3VvNOURaoniCk51m620y3hjgVultIsyHoAEnFVdeJg

[Bob Durnell]

Why not just spend a fraction of that and put up an Amshack type structure and see if anybody uses it? Start it off as a flag stop, and if there is any regular business, make it a regular stop.  It's amazing how people can make simple things expensive and complicated. 

[chriis]

Because ridership is not what is trying to be developed.

http://indianarailroads.org/board/index.php?topic=20627.0

[Sharky1]

Most of the $100,000 is to lobby area governments, politicians, media and construction business/unions.  You won't find that in a contract, but it's understood that it's part of the game.

[crblue]

Sometimes, our governmental regulations make the simple things difficult.

You can't put up a station stop without providing for parking. And, you can't put in a parking lot without providing for water run-off. The station stop would have to be ADA accessible, too. There are probably landscaping and lighting considerations, too. If there is lighting, then you have to engineer the electrical system with the necessary power feed. The station stop may need restrooms, so that adds water, sewer, electrical, and ADA issues. You'll need to figure out how the cleaning, trash disposal, and snow removal will be handled.

Yeah, Amshack used to be the answer to these questions. Granted, an Amshack might be the solution here, too. But, someone has to do a study to figure out what's required.

[SEMI-OFF-TOPIC RANT=On] The town where I live spent something like $19,000 over a year ago for a traffic study at a busy intersection. I went to the meeting where the engineers who did the study presented their results and gave their suggestions for improving the intersection. Not one of their suggestions has been acted on by the town. My take-away from this is that I should get into the business of doing studies, plans, and surveys for local governments because that seems to be where the money is. [SEMI-OFF-TOPIC RANT=Off]

[Bob Durnell]

For the most part, the current Hudson Lake stop has NONE of the things listed.  There is barely even any parking, no platform, next to nothing in the way lights and no restrooms.  I'm pretty sure NICTD could tell you you what is required, and probably for free.   As a side note, I don't see a location in New Carlisle that is even suitable for such a stop.  My guess is if NICTD thought there was a valid reason to have a stop here, they would have already done it. 

[steve_wall]

New Carlisle had been listed in the time tables as a flag stop, with an east location and a west location. One of the guys I worked with at Bendix made use of that when US 20 was closed during a snow storm in the 1980's. He boarded at the Bendix station (this was before the move to the air port), got off in New Carlisle, then walked a mile or so home from there.

[Bob Durnell]

I just looked at Google Earth and Street View again, and the ONLY location I see that is even practical is at the County Line Road crossing, which is so close to Hudson lake and far enough from New Carlisle to make it kind of pointless, unless you want to spend a LOT of money, which no doubt there are some that do.  If they spent $100,000 to confirm the obvious, there's no telling how much they are willing to spend.

[510Russ]

Why not just spend a fraction of that and put up an Amshack type structure and see if anybody uses it? Start it off as a flag stop, and if there is any regular business, make it a regular stop.  It's amazing how people can make simple things expensive and complicated. 

I love simple, elegant solutions! <3

-- Russ

[rrnut282]

Sometimes, our governmental regulations make the simple things difficult.

  It wouldn't be our government if it weren't.   

.....[SEMI-OFF-TOPIC RANT=On] The town where I live spent something like $19,000 over a year ago for a traffic study at a busy intersection. I went to the meeting where the engineers who did the study presented their results and gave their suggestions for improving the intersection. Not one of their suggestions has been acted on by the town. My take-away from this is that I should get into the business of doing studies, plans, and surveys for local governments because that seems to be where the money is. [SEMI-OFF-TOPIC RANT=Off]

Not really.  Most of the "studies" my company has done for small communities, were gratis, in the hope of getting the design work.  They don't pay much when they aren't free, either.  It takes a lot of time and leg work to run down all those details in a proper study. 

[Peoria Man]

Why not just spend a fraction of that and put up an Amshack type structure and see if anybody uses it? Start it off as a flag stop, and if there is any regular business, make it a regular stop.  It's amazing how people can make simple things expensive and complicated. 

There's probably still a patch of gravel there where the old shack used to be.  Heck I'm pretty sure I have a picture of it; maybe they can build an exact reproduction.  Historical, you know.

[Bob Durnell]

Where was the old stop located?

[Peoria Man]

It was where one of those residential streets dead-ended by the tracks.  Race Street or Zigler Street I think, judging by the Google Maps satellite view.  From there it was possible to walk up the embankment and over the Conrail mainline and right into the downtown business district.