Yazoo City’s train station could see a future renovation, and if the funds align properly, a building could be constructed at the depot.
Mayor Diane Delaware announced during the Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting that there is an Amtrak program designed to renovate the local station. The initial program could mean an upgraded platform at the station. But there is potential for more, Delaware added.
“Rather than doing platform, they (Amtrak) are going to find out if they can provide the funding with us providing a match for a four-wall building there,” she said. “The platform will be larger than what it is today. It will simply be a better platform. However, what we learned over time is that those Amtrak stations that have an actual building get more traffic than those that do not.”
Delaware said the station would be locked for periods of time if a building is constructed, opening an hour before a train arrives.
“That doesn’t mean that the building could not be used for other things just as the stations in other cities are used for parties or meetings,” Delaware said. “It is tourist attraction. It is an economic development effort. Should be make some other decision based on cost and what we believe the benefits and value to Yazoo City might be, we might want to do that.”
