The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1908-09-22
MUST BUILD SUBWAY
Commission Recommends Changes at
White River Junction.

NeWpOIl, sept. Zz,-- me BJHlt
board of railroad commissioners has
issued statement relative to chan
ges ordered at the union station at
White River Junction which includes
the construction of subway for
teams and pedestrians and repairs
upon the passenger station.
A petition was presented to the
board by John l.. Bacon and thirteen
other freeholders Of the town Of Hart
fort, against the Boston & Maine
Railroad Co. the Central Vermont Rail
way Co., and the Woodstock Railway
Co., alleging that the passenger sta
ton at the village of White River
Junction neither located nor arrang
ed so as to properly accommodate the
travelling public; that the village was
over many railroad tracks at grade;
that because of the continuous use OF
the tracks for shunting and yarding
cars, the passage of teams and pedes.
TRANS over those tracks in going to
and from the station was fraughi with
great danger and inconvenience; that
the use of coal by locomotives and the
constant noise resulting from the con.
tinuous hauling OF cars over the
tracks was source of inconvenience
to persons residing in that vicinity,
and a menace to their health The
board was asked to make such order
as justice requires to remedy the
evils complained of.
After due notice hearings we're
had on this petition at White River
Junction February 81, March 25 May
10, and June 20 and "a.
The board finds that the passenger
station at White River Junction to-
gether with the express Office and bag
gage house, are situated on diamond
shaped piece of land enclosed by
many railroad tracks in almost cen
slant use,-an island in a sea Of traf.
fic. For the last twenty years the
business done at this station has been
continuously increasing and the pros
pect is that It will continue 10 in
crease.
The Northern Railroad of New
Hampshire, the Connecticut aud Pas
sumpsic Rivers railroad and the Cen
trail Vermont Railway Co, each owns
one-third of said passenger station
and of the land on which it stands.
The Boston & Maine railroad, rs les
see under lease for ninety-nine years
from June |, 1887, operates the Con
necticut and Passumpsic Rivers rail-
road and the Northern Railroad OF
New Hampshire, and, as such lessee,
has succeeded to the rights Of hose
corporations. The passenger station
is now being operated and maintain
ed by the Central Vermont Railway
Co. and the Boston & Maine Railroad
Co. as a union station, the expense
being shared in proportion to theiv re-
spective interests in the property.
The board declares that "The Eos
ton and Maine railroad and the Cen
trail Vermont Railway Co, use each
others track in common only, so fai
as that Is necessary in delivering pas
sengers at said station, and in trans
ferring passenger cars and freight
cars from one railroad to the other IN
doing their several business at that
station, but to that extent sucn use
is in common. But we are we'll salts
fed and find, that the Boston & Maine
railroad and the Central Vermont
Railway Co., are so related to, and
have such a common interest in, the
railroad business done at White Riv-
er Junction that their interest and
duty in affording the public safe and
convenient ingress and regress over
said railroad property TO and nom the
passenger station as now located is
substantially joint and equal. Neither
team nor pedestrian can go from the
village of White River junction or the
surrounding country TO said passen-
ger station, nor from said station TO
said village or the surrounding coun-
try, without crossing at grade said
eight tracks of the Central Vermont
Railway Co., on which trains are NOV
ing almost constantly day and night;
and these tracks are wholly unguard-
ed and without protection Of any kind
and some of them are frequently
blocked by standing trains. The mum
Der Of persons compelled thus daily TO
cross these tracks amounts to several
hundreds and, owing to the increas-
ing amount of business done at this
important station, the number of per
sons compelled to cross these tracks
is constantly increasing, and includes
persons of both sexes and all ages and
conditions.
1T was freely admitted by said rail
road corporations and all persons in
terested, and we find, that this con-
dition is highly dangerous, and that
public safety and convenience de-
mands that said crossing of these
tracks at grade be dispensed with in
some way. The difficulty and con-
flicting claims have been as to how
these admitted evils can best be rem
edied.
After careful consideration OF all
the plans presented and aided by the
advice of the railroad engineers, the
engineer employed by the petitioners,
and an engineer specially employed
by this board, we find that the pub
lie convenience demands that said
passenger station remain In its pres
ent location; and public safety and
convenience requires that the neces-
sity of crossing said eight tracks at
grade, in going to and from said sta
ton, be eliminated by the oonstruc-
ton of a subway for teams and pedes-
trians between the points"
At the hearing in this case held at
White River junction June "a, the
Boston & Maine Railroad Co and the
Central Vermont Railway Co. an
nouneed to this board in open session
that they had agreed as follows:
''The Boston & Maine and Central
Vermont agree that in event of a SUD
way being ordered by the commission
that the expense apportioned to the
Boston & Maine and the Central Yer
mont will be born one half by each
road also the cost of maintenance
lighting, and heating"
1t was admitted by the Boston q
Maine Railroad Co. and the Central
Vermont Railway Co. that said pas.
nInninL 10 Ihn