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Despite a lack of ticket offices, parking, boarding platforms, shelter, restrooms or even road signs telling people where it is, the Schriever Amtrak Train Station could be a hidden gem if Terrebonne Parish can get funding for upgrades.
When the station was built in 1852, it was heavily utilized for trade and travel, stimulating the local economy. Technology advancements saw the railroads’ decline.
But tracks stretch as far east as New Orleans and as far west as Los Angeles. And parish officials would like to see the railroad thriving again.
“I think we should explore all opportunities for transportation,” said Terrebonne Parish Director of Planning and Zoning Pat Gordon. “It is a lost transportation alternative that people haven’t pursued in recent years.
“If there was a way to get a new train depot in the Schriever area that was well advertised and there was outreach done by Amtrak, I believe they would see a huge change in ridership in the Houma/Thibodaux area.”
Terrebonne councilwoman Beryl Amedee and parish Zoning Administrator Chris Pulaski will attend the Amtrack Great American Station Civic Conversation Forum in Memphis Friday.
The event is designed to facilitate Amtrack projects, whether restoring or building a new facility.
Amedee said her hope is to learn which programs can be applied at the Schriever station.
Although this is the first time anyone from Terrebonne has attended the forum, it’s not the first foray into reviving public rail trans-portation.
“I have actually been familiar with this track and train stop my entire life,” Amedee said, noting she grew up less than a mile from the site. “I used to hear the train pass as I was going to sleep at night.
“I have watched the decline of public use over the years. Since the Shriever overpass was built and the old Schriever Highway closed, fewer people even know there is a train stop here,” she said.
But demand lingers. According to Pulaski, as recent as 2013, the station saw approximately 1,300 to 1,400 passenger board the Sunset Limited passenger train – the only working railway in Schriever.
Amedee envisions another convenient transportation mode for locals if the station can be restored.
“There are people who will not fly under any circumstances. Maybe they cannot fly or have medical reasons that prevent them from flying,” she said. “There are people who may need to go somewhere and simply can’t afford airfare. In some cases, train fare is more affordable.”
A round trip ticket to Los Angeles by train costs $326, whereas a round trip ticket by plane costs $421. If someone were to travel by train to Memphis, they would have to stop in New Orleans and get on another train. A round-trip train ride averages $150, which is $350 less than the $500 it would cost to fly, depending on the airline.
“It certainly isn’t something a business traveler would look at, but retired senior citizens or people on vacation, sure,” Amedee said.
Council member Beryl Amedee would love to see the train station she grew up with in Shriever get back to its place as being a vital part of the Terrebonne Parish community.
