The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-05-25
READY TO TAKE UP
STATION PROBLEM
Council Committee Will Hold It's
First Meeting Tomorrow
Night.
Way OFFER COMPROMISE
Two-Station Plan, With Terminal
in West End, Now Under
Consideration.

Efforts on the part Of tho City
Council to induce tho railroads enter
ing Richmond to join in the erection
or union passenger station will take
definite shape tomorrow night, when
the special Committee on Union Sta
ton will hold it's initial meeting at
tho City Hall. Alderman James II.
Disney. author Of the resolution call
Ing for appointment OF special com
mlttee, VIII be it's chairman and the
other members will be Alderman Bar
ton II. Grundy and Councilmen James
j. Pollard. Gilbert X. Pollock and
Clarence "A. Seaton. President William
H. Adams. of the Board OF Aldermen.
and President r. Leo Peters. of the
Common Council, are named In the
resolution az cS ofiicio members
The committee is instructed to con-
fer with the presidents or other au-
thorized representatives of tho various
steam railroads entering this city with
a view of securing IL possible union
station for the use of all roads
Four Widely Scattered Stations
The matter has been under discus
sion for some time. the four railroad
stations now here being scattered Mt
widely divergent points over the CITY.
arranged. or provided with separate
waiting-rooms for white and colored
people as required by State law Some
weeks ago the matter came before the
Street Committee on resolution re-
quiring the removal, Of steam railway
tracks now obstructing the westward
growth Of Broad Street
President William II. White. of tho
Richmond. Fredericksburg and Poto-
mac Railroad Company. appeared be-
fore the committee at that time with a
very frank statement that his road
was working on new station plans. Az
ter explaining to the committee some
Of the difficulties in the way OF hur-
ried action. he outlined the general idea
of $1.O00.00O terminal on West Broad
Street for the joint use OF the Rich
mond. Fredericksburg and Potomac, At
lantic Coast Line and Norfolk and
Western. trains to and from the South
TO use the Belt Line tracks This
would enable the company TO remove
all tracks from Broad and Belvidere
Streets, to abandon Elba Station en-
tirely. and to convert Byrd Street Sta
ton into freight headquarters for the
Atlantic Coast Line. which has since
that announcement acquired several
large tracts OF land in it's vicinity.
Southern May Join.
Since that time, IL has been limited.
! though without direct authority from
the road itself, that the Southern might
be induced to abandon it's very neat,
but out-of-the- way. station on Four
teenth Street and enter Main Street
Station through traffic arrangements
with the Seaboard or Chesapeake and
Ohio. This plan. 1t is stated. would In
clude the enlargement and moderniz
| Ing OF Main Street Station, which at
present fails to conform to the law ms
to the separation OF the races and in
other respects Is Inadequate TO the
large traffic handled through it, II
carried out. this plan would give the
city two main terminals. one on Main
at Fifteenth and one on West Broad
Street near the Hermitage Club, each
located on a main thoroughfare with
direct street car connection between.
and with street cars TO nil sections OF
the city. Whether the committee can
go further than this and secure for
the city real union passenger station
| for all trains remains to be seen.
| Wants to Go West.
The Richmond, Fredericksburg and
| Potomac. which owns much property
| In the West End in conjunction with
the Atlantic Coast Line. strongly OBJ
| jects to coming down town. 1t wants
| to locate its terminal on West Broad
Street, In line with the future resi-
| Dental growth of the city. pointing to
| the fact that more tickets are sold
| at Eloa now than at any other station,
| seeming 10 show that West End sta
| ton. with proper street car facilities,
best suits the needs OF the travelling
| public. Limitations OF space for the
enlargement OF Main Street Station.
| limited space for parking Pullman and
! other cars, and no provision whatever
| for banking street cars for handling
| large excursion crowds are pointed out
as objections to a general union sta
! ton on Main Street
On the other hand, the Chesapeake
and Ohio points out that il has made
a considerable Investment at Main
! Street Station. giving the city the best
terminal IL now enjoys. and that en-
cheering problems involving steep
grades make it undesirable for Chesa-
peake and Ohio and Southern trains to
F, climb up the valley of Bacon Quarter
Branch following the present right OF
way of the Seaboard. to n West End
| station.
/ Conference OF Presidents.
The committee expects to invite a
conference OF the presidents OF all
! Of getting together Is after all not SO
| difficult as might appear. as President
| Harahan, of the Seaboard; President
| Stevens. OF the Chesapeake and Ohio
! and President Finley. of the Southern
! are all directors of the Richmond
! Frederick sburg and Potomac, and have
| already held ono conference here over
| the station problem with President
Rea, of the Pennsylvania, and mum
| Der of other distinguished railroa d
officials.