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Group considers new Buffalo train station

Posted at 11:30 PM, Oct 19, 2016
and last updated 2016-10-19 23:30:05-04

All aboard, for a new train station in buffalo. That was the big talk at the Citizens for Regional Transit meeting, Wednesday night.

The state of the current downtown train station sparked the idea of a new Buffalo train station moving down the tracks. The Exchange Street Station was closed for weeks this past month because of a damaged roof.

Members of Citizens for Regional Transit say, if a new station is built, it will need to be a hub for city-to-city travel, as well as block-to-block travel. 

“We need a new facility that will serve everybody, together, connecting NFTA services with Amtrak services and inner city bus services," stated Bruce B. Becker with the National Association of Railroad Passengers.

So, where should a new station go? It's way too early to say.

“We're not saying there is any one best solution, yet. We need to have a study examine all the alternatives and what goes into that. Which would be ridership studies and obviously costs involved with building a new facility,” added Becker.

One city monitoring Buffalo's train station situation closely is Niagara Falls. A city that just went through a lengthy process building a new train station of its own.

“We, particularly in Niagara Falls are cheerleading Buffalo to follow us and begin the work that's necessary to have that companion station,” said Tom DeSantis, with the City of Niagara Falls.

If a train station is indeed, right around the bend for Buffalo, where ever it's located, it's estimated that it would cost 10's of millions of dollars.  Becker says in the best case scenario a new station is still five years away.