Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-12-05
SPEND VAST SUMS
Millions Put Into Stations by Big
Railroads OF the
Country.
ARE BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE
Climax in $5O,OOO,OOO Terminal of
the Pennsylvania at New
York.

The Railway World is impressed
with the enormous sums now being
spent by railways in building improv-
ed passenger and freight stations in
orr great cities to accommodate their
vast and rapidly increasing business
St Louis, for example, nine years
ago opened a large union station, the
buildings, train sheds and necessary
yards, etc, aggregating ~ acres, at
cost of $6,5O0.O0O. This provision
for st. Louis passenger traffic was
considered ample for many years to
come.
I'm 1894, when it was completed, pas
Senger trains consisting Of from five
them, requiring more tracks and more
fer switching in and out of the sta
tiun. At present the railroads run
trains of 10 and II cars and more of
them, requiring more track and more
facilities for switching. Accordingly,
an extension of the station costing
$10.O0O,000 is in preparation to meet
the necessities of the immediate flu
1ure. 1t is designed to provide ac-
Communications for 10000 passengers
an hour.
Chicago, with sixNInion stations, is
better prepared to handle the 16O,-
600 passengers that arrive daily in
1,I3S trains over its % railways. OF
the 100000. some 10000 are through
passengers, the rest suburban. y sin
gle enc of the % railways carries 49,
100000 passengers a year to and from
Chicago. What this means may be
gathered from the fact that the Penn
sylvania railroad in its Broad street
station. Philadelphia, carries 4,OOO.OOO
annually. and the Boston q Maine, in
the North Union station, Boston, 12,-
100000. However, Notwithstanding its
present great passenger terminal IA
cilities, Chicago has just completed
monster station. with necessary train
sheds, capable of accommodating l.
500 trains a day.
Others Havs Like Experience.
Other cities have experiences not
unlike that Of st. Louis and Chicago.
In Washington. with the aid of the
federal government, the Baltimore q
Ohio and the Pennsylvania roads are
about to spend $15,OOO,0O0 on new
station. with accompanying improve
ments. which will solve, it is hoped, |
the passenger problem of the national |
capital for many years to come. In
Philadelphia the Pennsylvania rail |
road has but lately opened a new
West Philadelphia station, which is !
destined to accommodate increasing |
traffic and relieve the Broad. street |
station. Pittsburg only little over
a year ago reioiced in the completion
Of a huge new union station. Bos- |
tons new provision for passenger ter
minal facilities is on a magnificent
scale.
But the work about TO be done in
New York to speed the arriving, as
well as the departing guest, dwarfs
the achievements of the railways in
this line elsewhere. The Pennsylva-
MIA railroad alone is now executing
plans for tunnels and stations-de-
signed to lessen the present incon- |
veniences of entering Gotham - that
viii cost about S50,000,000.
Two cast iron tubes extending UNI
Ger the North river to an under
ground station beneath the streets
will give passengers from the west
and south access to the city. The re !
cent accidents in underground rail- |
ways in Paris and London have sug-
gested improved methods Of securing
exemptions from fires and other acct
dents in the tunnel. Every car is to |
he fireproOf and the tunnel is to COM
tain no wood. Light will be provided |
from a source other than that which |
gives current for the electric locomo-
tiyes. There will be hydrants at fire. !
quent intervals, with hose ready for
use To complete the provision for
safety, concrete sidewalks will ex-
tend along each side of the tunnel on
q level with the car windows, giving
easy exit for passengers in case of
accident.
Another Pair Built.
Another pair of iron tubes is being
constructed under the North river by
the New York & New Jersey Railway
company to give travellers improved
comfort in reaching and leaving New
York The New York Central rail |
way is providing, at cost of $4,000 |
GOO, improvements on the Grand Cen
trial station with an elaborate sub
station alongside it's ornamental via |
ducts at street crossings, depression
of the main tracks, the building of a
still lower tunnel for suburban trains |
as far north as Fiftieth street and |
the extension ofsits yards.
The size of the passenger station
problem of New York is suggested by |