But people's attachment to surviving stations, and particularly to surviving stations that are still actively functioning as train stations, is fiercer than ever. This is partly because whole communities can be changed by the presence of stations, along with the lives of individuals. There are several parts to this. Sacred sites are places that mix groups of people together who might otherwise stay separate. They stand for the long-term, unbroken continuity of a neighborhood, a town, a city, or perhaps even an entire metropolitan region.
Many buildings are important to any community's dreams.
But fixing up the train station or, where necessary, creating a new one from scratch is the one act that in many people's minds signals the beginning of true civic healing. There's another factor at work here as well.