The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-04-22

or Broad and the Belt Line-wouid re-
quire about three years The station
at the Hermitage site can be COM
pieted and be in use within eighteen
months. which, 1t Is estimated. Is the
time that Will be required for the de-
pressing of the Belt Line tracks to
meet the requirements of the city in
the extension of the West End
| thorouRhfares
The late Mr.. Scarborough who was
recognized as one of the leading rail-
road engineers in the South, travelled
all over the country investigating, in
speeding and otherwise looking into
matters of station facilities and ar
ranSement OF tracks and terminals.
and recommended the Hermitage as
the ideal location for great pas
senger terminal for Richmond
The selection of the Hermitage site
will permit the removal of the rail-
way tracks on Belvidere and Broad
and other streets. There will be no
railroad tracks through the city south
of Broad Street when the new pas
senger depot Is completed. The Sc
lection or the Hermitage property,
putting the joint station north Of
Broad Street will do away with the
smoke nuisance and the noise so obiec-
tionable In the residence portions of
the city.
To Care For Local business,
The new station site. not far re-
moved from the present Broad Street
station, from which the r., r. & p. gets
more of it's. passenger traffic than
from both the Main and Byrd-Street
Stations, into each of which 1t oper-
ates several trains daily. will take
care of this large number of passen-
xyh n ha
Of Elba. Had either the Belt Line and
Broad or the Main and Fifteenth
street sites been chosen the r., F. a
p. would have been compelled to have
an uptown station in the vicinity OF
Elba to handle that business.
The Atlantic Coast Line will con-
tinuo the use of the Byrd Street Sta
ton to handle its local and accom-
mediation business between Richmond
and Petersburg connections and Hope
well. but its through trains will be run
into the new station The new sta
ton will relieve much the steadily
growing congestion at the Byrd Street
station.
The official statement of the Rich
mond fredericksburg ana Potomac and
the Atlantic Coast Line Railroads, is
sued Yesterday under date of April 20
and signed. respectively, by William
II. w niue pTESiutHIt anu II " diltIHs
chairman. showing the outcome of the
conference in New York. reads as fol-
lows:
The Omcial Statement.
The respective boards of directors
Of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
Company and the Richmond. Freder-
icksburg and Potomac Railroad Com
pauy today by unanimous vote au-
thoriZe their executives to build new
joint passenger terminals and station
at tho Hermitage or old fair grounds,
Three sites were suggested for this
station. one the Union Station at Main
and Fifteenth Streets, another at the
Belt Line and Broad Street and
third at the Hermitage, or old fair
grounds
IF either one OF the FIRST two sites
had been selected. the Richmond.
fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad
Company would have been compelled
to have had another station on
West Broad Street to accommodate
it's West End travel. Two-thirds of
its entire Richmond travel, and a large
portion of tho through southbound
travel over the Atlantic Coast Line
board or leave its trains at West
Broad street. and this number Is con-
stantly increasing
III the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
Company had used the Main street sta
ton ii would have been compelled to
abandon a considerable portion ct its
mileage, build additional tracks and
pay for the use of tracks belonging to
other companies.
From the Main-street Station tho
schedules would be considerably long
er than from either of the other sta
lions.
There are already three through
trains daily north and southbound
from the Main street Station over the
Seaboard Air Line Railway.
If the station had been located at
the Belt Line and Broad Street, the
travelling public would have had TO
go about a mile further than with tho