Stations along the route

Austin station is an insult to train riders.  This is what you get from a city that gives endless lip service to public transit, but does very little about it.  It’s on the edge of downtown, but it’s hidden away up a hard-to find dead-end street behind the YMCA.  The station itself is underwhelming, with a small inside waiting room and not even the most basic food services.

As we roll north, the conductor announces the stops.  Most are quick.  At some, through-passengers are allowed to get off, stretch their legs, and breathe fresh air or have a smoke.  The conductor offers a wry caution, “When all aboard is called, enter the train.  If you are not on the train when the train leaves the station, you will be left.  That’s all right, you can catch the next train tomorrow.”

At Dallas Union Station, I get off to stretch my legs.  The trainside walkways are pretty nice, red brick edged by that yellow bumpy caution strip.  Little canopies are spaced down the middle.  There are several sets of double tracks.  If I walk down a way, I can get a look at the station building, brick painted while.  A walkway crosses all the tracks and leads to the station, but I don’t want to leave trainside.

At St. Louis Union Station I get off again.  The trainside platform is bare concrete with the yellow edge, but it’s clean.  The tracks are out in the open air, under the sky.  A hulking skyway rises from the platform and crosses other tracks, crosses car traffic, ducks under a raised highway, and disappears.