(The following story by Jody Callahan appeared on the Memphis Commercial Appeal website on June 25.)
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Amtrak could discontinue service to Memphis if a massive sinkhole at Central Station isn’t repaired soon, an official of the rail passenger line said Tuesday.
“Let’s put it this way, it certainly is an option,” said Marc Magliari said. Magliari would not elaborate.
Bill Strong, a Memphian and director of the National Association of Railroad Passengers, said the move would be a “drastic step.”
“The service to Memphis is very important to this route,” Strong said. “But it is costing them a fortune to provide the buses, the lighting and all the extra steps they’re having to go through (to shuttle customers to an alternate site).”
Several hundred passengers a day ride the train that stops in Memphis twice a day — one headed north and once headed south. Last year, 50,049 passengers used Central Station.
The sinkhole was caused when a rain culvert that runs 50 feet beneath the ground collapsed. When the hole was discovered in April, it was about the size of a basketball. It quickly grew to about 8 feet across and 18 feet deep, but then temporary repairs made the site much larger.
The reason the sinkhole has been there for nearly two months is money, with repair estimates reaching at least $1 million.
Neither city government, which owns the property, nor the Canadian National railway, which owns the railroad tracks, want to pony up that much money if it can be avoided.
So city officials have been searching for a contract signed in the late 19th century that may reveal who is responsible for fixing the sinkhole. But, despite weeks of searching, the document hasn’t been found.
“It may take years or months to find a document of that age,” City Atty. Elbert Jefferson said. “It could be anywhere.”
If the contract isn’t found, the two groups may split the repair cost.
Meanwhile, Amtrak customers continue to be shuttled to and from satellite locations to catch the train.
“The biggest problem was the lack of parking at Central Station,” said Raleigh resident Tom Parker, who recently took the train to Seattle. “In the past, I would just leave my car up there in the parking lot. I wasn’t able to do that, and I had to arrange for my brother to take us to the station and pick us up.”
Jefferson isn’t certain when the problem will be resolved, or the sinkhole repaired.
“Those discussions are yet ongoing. Until those discussions are complete, we’re still at a standstill,” he said. “As soon as we get resolution on the funding issue, a party will begin working immediately.”
Meanwhile, Strong and others grow increasingly frustrated with the situation.
“I think it is very, very frustrating that the city apparently is stonewalling and trying to weasel out of their responsibility to repair their failed infrastructure,” Strong said.