Tampa Union Station

[cocojacoby]

Took the Star to Tampa a few years ago and the conductor commented that the patronage had gone way up over the last few years. He seemed surprised at the change.

We went for a cruise and did take the trolley for the experience. The walk to the trolley was not easy or fun. The next time we went we walked all the way to the cruiseport. It felt good in the warm Florida weather and to stretch our legs after sitting on the train for 24 hours.

 

[jis]

Amtrak always used the 1963 ACL station northwest of downtown. The station building is still there along with some remnants of the platform. The pre-1963 station was downtown. On the rail bridge over 38th Ave N there's still an ancient PASSENGER TERMINAL NEXT LEFT sign.

Looking at some old maps it does look like there was a connector along Adamo Dr. that would have connected to the route to St. Pete.

You're right. It is several miles NW of where the line ends at Tropicana Field. Here is the location in Google Maps:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/2...m2!3d27.8053611!4d-82.6758889?hl=en&entry=ttu

 

[railiner]

I remember a story in Trains Mag back in the 80s showing the last departure from St. Pete.

Found this photo on Flickr

 

[cocojacoby]

Just spent a little time following the trackage in the area and was real surprised to see that some of the track is still in place near Tropicana Field.

For armchair railroad archeologists:

 

[trainman74]

I can't find a reference right now, but was there, at one time, another causeway or bridge for rail across the bay between Tampa & St. Pete? Or was that road/street bridge that was abandoned (what I remember from being told when I visited)?

No, there never was -- rail service between Tampa and St. Petersburg has always gone "up and over" (through Oldsmar and Clearwater).

 

[jiml]

No, there never was -- rail service between Tampa and St. Petersburg has always gone "up and over" (through Oldsmar and Clearwater).

It has been over a year but the tracks through Oldsmar were still seeing the occasional CSX freight, and the route parallels SR580 including a very scenic crossing of Safety Harbor near the canal mouth.

 

[jis]

It has been over a year but the tracks through Oldsmar were still seeing the occasional CSX freight, and the route parallels SR580 including a very scenic crossing of Safety Harbor near the canal mouth.

View attachment 36665

The Clearwater Subdivision of CSX is active upto the CSX St. Petersburg Yard, which is about a mile further along the line from the site of the old Amtrak St. Petersburg Station. There are rails in place beyond the Yard ending at Tropicana Field but there is little evidence that anything goes beyond the Yard these days.

 

[cirdan]

More money for restoration of Tampa Union Station

https://baynews9.com/fl/tampa/news/...oved-for-restorations-at-tampa-union-station-

Interesting to read the claim that "Union Station in Tampa remains Florida’s second busiest passenger train station."

I guess this claim means second busiest Amtrak station? Or would that claim genuinely also relate to any Brightline or commuter station?

 

[jis]

Interesting to read the claim that "Union Station in Tampa remains Florida’s second busiest passenger train station."

I guess this claim means second busiest Amtrak station? Or would that claim genuinely also relate to any Brightline or commuter station?

It is actually the third busiest Amtrak station if Sanford is counted as an Amtrak station.

Brightline stations will quite rapidly overtake the Amtrak station ridership numbers specially for the main terminals.

 

[frequentflyer]

Info on old station.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._P...n was a passenger,only from 37th Avenue North.

Location of old St. Pete Station

https://www.google.com/maps/place/3...a8c1!8m2!3d27.8042382!4d-82.6755301?entry=ttu

 

[west point]

Even if there is only one rail to near Tropicana field that might someday be used for fans to games at the field.

 

[cocojacoby]

Even if there is only one rail to near Tropicana field that might someday be used for fans to games at the field.

The Rays are trying like crazy to get out of there. Tropicana field is considered to be the worst ball park in America by many. I've been there and it was not that horrible but whatever. They are trying to move to the Ybor City section of Tampa nearer to the Amtrak station and the proposed Brightline station. It's a much more vibrant inviting surrounding neighborhood.

 

[BlackDiamond]

The Rays are trying like crazy to get out of there. Tropicana field is considered to be the worst ball park in America by many. I've been there and it was not that horrible but whatever. They are trying to move to the Ybor City section of Tampa nearer to the Amtrak station and the proposed Brightline station. It's a much more vibrant inviting surrounding neighborhood.

I wonder what happens to that vibrant inviting neighborhood when you plop a ballpark along with the acres of parking required nowadays into it.

 

[jiml]

I wonder what happens to that vibrant inviting neighborhood when you plop a ballpark along with the acres of parking required nowadays into it.

Some downtown ballparks have little or no parking and rely on public transit. Whether that's practical in Tampa would have to be determined.

 

[joelkfla]

Some downtown ballparks have little or no parking and rely on public transit. Whether that's practical in Tampa would have to be determined.

Tampa has no rail transit, other than the trolley which is mostly single-tracked. Even if they replaced the current replica historic cars with modern trams, there's no way it could move the crowd exiting from a ball game to the Channelside parking garages in a reasonable time.

 

[jiml]

Tampa has no rail transit, other than the trolley which is mostly single-tracked. Even if they replaced the current replica historic cars with modern trams, there's no way it could move the crowd exiting from a ball game to the Channelside parking garages in a reasonable time.

That's what I suspected, however they'll have plenty of time to work on it given the pace of a new ballpark.

 

[alanh]

Here's where the old pre-1963 station was. It looks like it was torn down shortly after the 1963 station opened. Here's what it looks like now.

 

[railiner]

Here's where the old pre-1963 station was. It looks like it was torn down shortly after the 1963 station opened. Here's what it looks like now.

Here's what the pre-1963 St. Petersburg station looked like, found on Flickr...