All aboard: Tech students offer Christiansburg Amtrak station ideas
BLACKSBURG — Jake Grove has a few ideas for the Amtrak station that many want to bring to Christiansburg.
Under Grove’s vision, the entrance building’s walls would consist of vertical louvers that could be adjusted throughout the year to keep heating and air costs down.
“If it’s a really hot day,” Grove said, “you can turn them to block the sun.”
That exact design detail was reflected in a model built for a class project by Grove, a third year Virginia Tech architecture student.
Grove’s concept, along with those of 14 other classmates, were put on display for public viewing in Tech’s Cowgill Hall this week.
An aspect that made the assignment unique: Students were tasked with designing a real-life project.
For at least a few years now, politicians and other area leaders have promoted plans to bring an Amtrak station to Christiansburg.
Expanded Amtrak service from Roanoke into other parts of Southwest Virginia, supporters say, provides an alternative to the increasingly congested Interstate 81 and can help drive economic development in the region, among several predicted benefits.
To learn more about those benefits, check out the whole article below