Just Because You Build It... Doesn’t Mean They Will Come.
St. Paul’s Union Depot is quite the bus stop. After approximately $250 million in renovation and restoration costs (some estimates are higher), the St. Paul Union Depot opened to the public on December 8th. The regional rail planners for the Depot have always envisioned several different forms of transportation utilizing the facility including buses (Metro Transit, Greyhound, Jefferson Lines), Light Rail and Amtrak.
To date, Metro Transit and Jefferson Lines have been using the Depot. Greyhound has eliminated service in St. Paul (Greyhound consolidated its Twin Cities stops to Minneapolis last year) and now, Amtrak has announced it will not use the facility at least until late 2013, early 2014. Time will tell if Amtrak uses the Depot at all. If not – perhaps the Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority should consider renaming it the “Union Bus Depot.”
Cross-posted and comments welcome at Davis & Emmer's NewsTalk Blog.