(rshsdepot) Greensboro, NC

["Bernie Wagenblast" <brwagenblast_@_comcast.net>]

From yesterday's Greensboro News Record

Bernie Wagenblast
Transportation Communications Newsletter
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transport-communications/

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Passengers On Board With New Bus Terminal ; The Greensboro Transit
Authority's New Center At The Depot Draws Rave Reviews In Its First Day Of
Operation.



Who knew waiting for the bus could be such a pleasure?
Passengers are raving about the indoor restrooms, covered shelters and
comfortable wooden seats that are all part of the city's new transportation
center at the Depot on East Washington Street.

"I don't like it. I love it," said Jomaine Engram, 55, of Greensboro.

On Sunday, buses for the Greensboro Transit Authority began arriving at and
departing from the Depot, located in the old Southern Railway Train station.

By early morning, the number of passengers had already doubled, authorities
said.

As they stepped off the bus, they looked up, then around, then back up as
they checked out the new site.

"I'm sure a lot are here out of curiosity," said Nancy Nichols, GTA general
manager.

Despite last-minute touch-ups inside and a lingering smell of fresh paint -
contractors cleared out of the site Saturday afternoon - the buses ran
smoothly and on schedule.

"The biggest problem is getting people back on the bus," Nichols said. "They
like to look around."

Looking around, passengers will see bright, warm lights that fill the
waiting area where restrooms, a drinking fountain and soda machines are.

GTA's previous hub on Davie Street consisted of just a few short, barely
covered benches and a portable toilet nearby. Many passengers stood in the
rain, snow or blistering heat to wait for their rides.

Inside the new station, thick, tall, curved wooden benches line the waiting
area. Nichols said they are replicas of the benches that filled the waiting
area when the Depot originally opened to rail passengers in 1927. The
station was closed by Southern Railway in 1979 and was donated to the city.

The city has been working with the state Archives and History Division of
the Department of Cultural Resources during the $14 million restoration of
the Southern station. The state wants to preserve the station's historic
features.

Giant, rolling doors that resemble barn doors have been painted and
restored. Future renovations will reveal windows behind them.

For some passengers, the Depot takes them back in time.

"My mother used to work here, at the lunch counter," said Edna Hall, 56, of
Greensboro. "I remember the counter was at that end of the room, but that's
about it."

She said city buses are the only transportation she has. "This is pretty
neat," she said. "It's better than standing out in the cold or heat."

For other passengers, the all-new look was unlike anything they had ever
seen.

Engram said she moved to Greensboro from Staten Island, N.Y., about a year
ago. There, the public bus system was crowded, dirty and just plain
miserable.

"This is beautiful," she said. "The chairs. Oh, my goodness. The chairs.
Whoever thought of this was very good.

"This is worth what they paid for it," Engram said. "I just hope people
don't abuse it."

An official grand-opening event will be held Aug. 29, with local
dignitaries, including the mayor and possibly the governor, Nichols said. A
ceremony will be held Aug. 30 for passengers, though details are still in
the works.

Long-distance Greyhound/Trailways buses will begin arriving and departing
from the Depot in about a week, Nichols said, while Piedmont Authority for
Regional Transportation buses, which travel among Greensboro, Winston-Salem
and High Point, will begin operating out of the Depot today.

By late 2004, the three Amtrak trains that operate out of a small station on
Oakland Avenue are expected to use the transportation center as well.

The Depot's main concourse, where artists and contractors have been
renovating and bringing the station back to its original splendor, will be
available for conferences, social gatherings and other events.

One of the highlights inside the main concourse will be a giant mural map
depicting the Southern Railway System.

"It's going to be gorgeous," Nichols said.

Contact Allison Perkins at 373-7157 or aperkins_@_news-record.com

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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

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