Hammond-Whiting station

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twropr
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Hammond-Whiting station

Unread post by twropr »

Is it true that the station built for Amtrak in 1983 has been torn down?
If so, does anyone have a photo of the present platform and photo of the station when it still was served by several trains?
Thanks
Andy
Jacksonville, FL

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justalurker66
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Re: Hammond-Whiting station

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Taken last July ...
20210711-HW1.jpg
20210711-HW2.jpg
20210711-HW3.jpg

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TSS
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Re: Hammond-Whiting station

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I have never physically been to the Hammond-Whiting station, but I have ridden past it many times on the Pere Marquette. The building is still there, at least it was a week ago when I rode the train. :D

Last year the station was completely closed for a few months, with no train service, while the passenger platforms were rebuilt to current accessibility standards. I believe I read someone else’s comment saying the inside of the station was refreshed as well but I have no firsthand knowledge of this. Someone must have equated “closed” with “demolished.”

Only a handful of trains stop, and the Amtrak website lists it as “station with waiting room” but “no restrooms.” So it appears they are keeping the lights on, barely, for the handful of passengers who use the station.

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justalurker66
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Re: Hammond-Whiting station

Unread post by justalurker66 »

One of the discussions I saw elsewhere confused another former station with this one. Hammond-Whiting was effectively closed due to Covid-19 (the few trains that stopped there were suspended and the Michigan trains that did run were not ones scheduled to stop. The construction was done in phases so there was always a portion of platform available - regardless of the lack of trains stopping.

I usually stop there on the way back from Chicago when I have time and it isn't too dark (not much to see in the dark). Passenger counts in 2019 were about double the level of the now closing Michigan City stop.

The interior of the building was also refreshed but I don't have a good picture of it.

GP30M4216
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Re: Hammond-Whiting station

Unread post by GP30M4216 »

Every other route out of Chicago has a suburban stop on a train's way into or out of the great big city. Glenview, Naperville, Summit, Homewood, Dyer are all stops on Regional and Long Distance trains which pass through those stations. Only Hammond-Whiting is skipped by 80% of the passenger trains which pass it. I suppose this is due to the single-side platform and NS known desire to not cross trains over or block off Main 1 while a train loads on Main 2. 14 trains a day on 5 different routes make this part of NW Indiana some of the best potentially connected in the midwest. In other states, this would be the home of a double platform station with bridge or tunnel, but not here. Meanwhile, for folks who live on the 75 mile stretch between Chicago and SOB, where would someone from, say, Valparaiso, board an eastbound train? It seems like a missed opportunity.

Presently, just three trains a day stop at HWI: at 7:11am 350 EB, at 1:17pm 353 WB, and at 9:56pm 355 WB. Similar to Michigan City, there are a limited number of possible connections which can be made by catching the earliest possible train into the city. And zero possibility of getting an outbound same-day connection to arrive at HWI from another Amtrak via Chicago. And, as was mentioned somewhere, during the limited 351/352 days of COVID times, no trains stopped here. Convenient for reconstructing the entire LD-length platform, but not a good way to generate ridership nor revenue.

I'm glad to see the investment here, and thanks justalurker66 for sharing your recent photos. Even if its restrooms are closed, it's an Amshack not in terrible shape. With that casino just steps away, a good marketing campaign and a 354 stop in the evening would almost certainly bring a few more passengers through the turnstile.

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DaveO
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Re: Hammond-Whiting station

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Keep in mind, Michigan is subsidizing the Michigan trains, Indiana isn't.
Anyone really expect Michigan to keep paying for Indiana service unless it has a positive impact for Michigan?

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justalurker66
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Re: Hammond-Whiting station

Unread post by justalurker66 »

No sign that Michigan paid for either the Hammond-Whiting or Michigan City stops. Amtrak is stopping there at no extra charge to Michigan.

The schedules seem to be biased toward spending the day in Michigan (leaving Hammond-Whiting at 8:11am Michigan Time) or the night in Chicago (EB return would be the next day). Normally the "short hops" near Chicago are intended for Amtrak passengers who are continuing on other trains but the trains chosen to stop at Hammond-Whiting or (last day today) Michigan City don't provide good connections to western routes. Stopping the Capital and/or Lake Shore trains would make more sense from a connections perspective. Michigan isn't paying for those trains.

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DaveO
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Re: Hammond-Whiting station

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Of course Michigan isn't going to pay for those stops.
If Michigan doesn't pay for the trains they go away.
But beyond money there is this other issue, convenience.
Those stops add no convenience for Michigan.

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justalurker66
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Re: Hammond-Whiting station

Unread post by justalurker66 »

The point is that Michigan is not paying for Indiana service. They are paying for service to Chicago for Michigan passengers.

That being said, the average trip length for passengers boarding at Hammond was 218 miles (in 2019). The top four Hammond connections were Dearborn, Detroit, Ann Arbor and Kalamazoo. Hammond to/from Chicago came in 5th place in ridership at Hammond. 76% of trips were over 200 miles (Ann Arbor and east). Another 15% of trips were over 100 miles (91% total Kalamazoo and east). The Hammond stop *IS* primarily serving Michigan passengers.

"No convenience for Michigan"? 4,700 passenger trips between Hammond and Michigan seem to disprove that concept.

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SD80MAC
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Re: Hammond-Whiting station

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justalurker66 wrote:
Sun Apr 03, 2022 11:14 am

"No convenience for Michigan"? 4,700 passenger trips between Hammond and Michigan seem to disprove that concept.
I can't believe they even bother stopping there for less than 5,000 people per year. What a waste!
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justalurker66
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Re: Hammond-Whiting station

Unread post by justalurker66 »

SD80MAC wrote:
Wed Apr 06, 2022 10:48 am
justalurker66 wrote:
Sun Apr 03, 2022 11:14 am
"No convenience for Michigan"? 4,700 passenger trips between Hammond and Michigan seem to disprove that concept.
I can't believe they even bother stopping there for less than 5,000 people per year. What a waste!
There were more than 4,700 passenger trips in the year reported. The rest traveled between Chicago and Hammond. That surprises me.

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