Quote:
Originally Posted by orulz
I really wonder whether the HSR portion of the WLTC makes any sense at all. The diagrams that I have seen depict it as the bottom level of a 5-level cut-and-cover complex under Clinton Street. Clinton is narrow enough so that there would really only be room for two HSR platforms. Or, at best, four - if it's arranged as a two-sided terminal station like Union Station. That just ain't enough.
To make enough space for a real station, it would have to be a great deal deeper than that to allow for a bored / mined cavern-style terminal - on the order of 150 feet underground for something like the East Side Access terminal in Manhattan. Reconfiguring Union Station to allow for more through tracks and probably a fourth approach track from the north seems, to me, like a better solution.
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I seriously question the configuration of the West Loop Transportation Center as it stands, especially the need for a pedestrian concourse running the length. Close off Clinton, make Canal two directions, and then the surface of Canal will be the pedestrian component. That will also allow for more and larger skylights to bring sunlight down into the tunnel.
Also, the bus level could probably be scrapped and moved to the surface as well. By placing subway entrances in surrounding buildings, the need for a mezzanine can be avoided. Then you could build only a three-level tunnel with one CTA level and two rail levels.