The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-03-22
President Fairfax Har-
rison Announces Plans
for Big Development.
WILL ERECT NEW
FREIGHT DEPOT
Outlines Features of Extensive
Southern Railway Improve
mcnts-Announcement Re-
wives Project for Two-Sta-
ton Plan and for Widen
ing Fourteenth Street.

Southern Railway passenger trains
on both the Danville and West Point
divisions Will begin the use OF Main
street Station on April i. The present
southern Railway passenger station on
Fourteenth street, near Cary. is to be
demolished at once to mako way for
an extensive now freight station and
yards. II was exclusively announced
Ia The Times Dispatch OF last Sunday
that plans to put this change into eff
feet wcr bo!ng worked out. The fol-
lowing official statement was Issued
BY President Fairfax Harrison. of the
southern Railway Company, yesterday:
President Hnrrinon's Statement.
"On April next, the Southern Rail-
way Company VIII transfer Its passen-
ger service to the Main Succct Station,
now occupied b. the Chesa pcakc and
Ohio ana Seaboard Air Line. constitut-
ing that station It's passenger terminal
in Richmond.
Immediately thereafter. the present
passenger station of tn" Southern Rail-
way Company. on Fourteenth street.
Will he removed and the space now &C.
cupied hy the passenger facilities viii
hc devoted To the construction OF IN cd :
err and adequate freight terminals.
The plan IS To- construct on Fourteenth
Street nu outbound freight house OF
brick. with AN office building on the
second story, the freight house being
in dimensions 10 $50 feet. Adjacent
TO this building viii be loading tracks
TO hold scventy-nve cars and team
track facilities to accommodate ap-
proximatcly thirty cars. The tracks
into the present freight houses Will be
rearrauged. and one Of the present
fxr .l.,,t, RI
freight and the other for handling to-
bacco.
ION the south side Of the river opposite
Belle Isle a new storage yard. with a
capacity OF $50 cars. is being con-
structcd. ~ South Richmond the sys-
tom OF yard tracks is being rearranged.
Increasing the capacity approximately
l5o cars. and :; new combination freight
and passenger station, 5oXlT5 feet, Is
being constructed with the necessary
house tracks. and new team tracks hav-
ing q capacity OF approximately 100
cars.
ION the Trigg property, storage
tracks are TO he Immediately construct
ed TO hold approximately 100 ears. so
arranged that other tracks can be laid
on the sam. property as business de-
nands.
1T is believed that all OF these
facilities will! put the Southern hallway
' 1i3ItiiS III 4 pOSlt4oH disGLalciE 10
handle promptly aud efficiently its
growing business in Richmond. as we'll
rs TO prevent hereafter such congestion
as the present terminals have suffered
during the past winter All OF the
work VIII be pushed 10 n conclusion
in an effort 10 get the new facilities
into service 1t The earliest possible
mon: ent."
Connections Already Made.
1t is understood that the necessary
physical connections have already been
made. 10y which Southern Railway
trains from the South can be switched
10 the tracks cf the Scaboard Air Line
In South Richmond and enter Main
street Station over the Seaboard bridge.
There Is already connection at the
foot OF ChimboraZo Park, by which the
West Point trains can be switched TO
the Chesapeake and Ohio viaduct
When passenger station plans were
under discussion some months ago, ii
was inti,natcd that the Southern would
would probably not consider any plan
for an uptown union station. The two
station plan was then advanced, and is
still under consideration, proposing
that Main Street Station be enlarged
and improved for the use of the Ches-
apeakc and Ohio. Seaboard Air Line
and southern, and that the Richmond,
fredericksburg and Potomac; Atlantic
Coast Line. and Norfolk and Western
use the proposed new 81 ooo. 900 termi-
nal on the site OF the Hermitage Golf
club. preliminary plans for which have
been secured.
This part of the project has been
allowed to lie dormant for some time,
but as the West End station plan has
the Endorsement of a large number or
business men. ii will probably be &C
lively pushed in the near future
VIII Make l.nrGe Expenditure.
The immediate reason for the change
as announced b. President Harrison,
of the southern, Is the desire Of that
railroad To improve its freight facili-
ties. and prevent the congestion which
has seriously handicapped shipping b.
the Southern Railway in recent months.
President Harrison does not state in
his announcement the cost of the
changes proposed, but IL Is stated that
very large sums Will be expended on
J." new freight Yards and equipment.
which will bring the freight facilities
OF this city up To the most modern
standard. 1t Will he recalled that the
Atlantic Coast Line has recently ac-
CURED large tract between Seventh
and Ninth Streets. south of Byrd. for
endorsement OF its freight yards.
Removal Of the present Southern
station building will open the way for
the immediate widening OF Fourteenth
Street from the new Mayo Bridge to
Cary Street. the tower OF the station
being the only expensive piece OF con-
Struction now In the way