The New Amtrak Station needs to be at the Buffalo Central Terminal

Brian Higgins stood up for the East Side and the Central Terminal in the Buffalo News yesterday.

From the Buffalo News:

Buffalo is about to make a “big, big mistake” by recommending a new rail station for Canalside, Rep. Brian Higgins said Monday, promising to continue his advocacy for a revitalized Central Terminal.

With all the heavy development and investment seen around other parts of Buffalo over the last decade, the Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood continues to hang on. The last few years have seen a new energy in the neighborhood. The energy coming from its residents, immigrants, cultural institutions, businesses and other organizations. What the neighborhood needs now is a game changer.

The Buffalo Central Terminal has endured since the last trains pulled out of the station in 1979. Through the incredible work of the Central Terminal Restoration Corporation and its army of volunteers and supporters, the building and complex went from almost being lost to being open to the public again. The terminal has sat as other architectural wonders around the city have been redeveloped and restored.

With recent interest from Canadian developer Harry Stinson and his plans for the Central Terminal complex, adding a train station to the mix could be the one-two punch in making redevelopment a reality. It would also help bolster existing neighborhood treasures like the Broadway Market, its treasure Eastern European style churches along with other new development going on in Broadway-Fillmore.

More from Brain Higgins:

“To lose the opportunity to revitalize an area that’s been dead economically for so long as it has been would be a travesty,” he said, adding he rejects any idea that suburban rail travelers will shun the city location.

“Just because it’s inactive does not mean its’s unsafe,” he said.

Higgins also introduced the concept of moving the NFTA’s downtown bus station to a rehabilitated Central Terminal, freeing the Metropolitan Transportation Center for other purposes.

The time is now for local and state officials to get on board in selecting the Central Terminal as the location for the new Amtrak Station in Buffalo. This is an opportunity that won’t come around again anytime soon. Make it happen.


There is a public meeting about the new Buffalo Train Station on Tuesday, March 21st from 5:00 to 7:00pm at the Buffalo Museum of Science.

Parsons Brinckerhoff has created the agenda:

First 30 minutes or so:
· Introduction by the Mayor
· Process Review by Bob Shibley
· Presentation by consultant team (similar to the Stakeholder Committee presentation)
Remaining 90 minutes or so:
· Opportunity for public to visit stations and ask questions/provide comments.

The presentation will be set up for the public to review each of the locations that have been previously discussed.

Please attend if you would like to have an opportunity to see the performance metrics that were presented to the committee last week.


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5 thoughts on “The New Amtrak Station needs to be at the Buffalo Central Terminal

  1. Come on let’s be serious Buffalo is presently built and rebuilding on its great past history.Well NO building in Buffalo has more history or more ties to all wnyers then the Central Terminal.This is really a no brainer!!!

    1. There shouldn’t even be a question. This is the only location where the trains can go to different tracks instead of having to waste time going to NYC to do that. By opening up better routes more people will use Amtrak! This building is a beacon all around the city. It’s a testament to the revitalization going on. Plenty of parking too. This would be a great enticement to rebuild the Broadway Fillmore area as well. It would certainly help the Broadway market which is in walking distance. The site is even ready for disability access to the trains. They should stop all this talk and just go with it because the community is in favor of it.

  2. Buffalo needs a real city planner! Canalside is the flavor of the month so the politicians think everything belongs there. Have they forgotten the raves we drew from preservationists when they had their convention here just a few years ago? Imagine if they could come back by train into Central Terminal and get on a Rapid Transit car from there to downtown. If we could establish links between the city and the airport we could give everyone access to everything and let the Central Terminal live up to its name.

  3. I agree with Alice regarding the rebuilding of the Broadway Fillmore area; reclaiming the terminal could be a huge catalyst to restoring the entire corridor connecting Fillmore with what is already happening with the Michigan Ave. Baptist church and Colored Musician’s Club. Imagine adding the Lyceum and Broadway Auditorium to the list of Buffalo’s treasures: (http://www.bisonshistory.com/broadway-auditorium.htm)

  4. I agree with Alice regarding the rebuilding of the Broadway Fillmore area; reclaiming the terminal could be a huge catalyst to restoring the entire corridor connecting Fillmore with what is already happening with the Michigan Ave. Baptist church and Colored Musician’s Club. Imagine adding the Lyceum and Broadway Auditorium to the list of Buffalo’s treasures: (http://www.bisonshistory.com/broadway-auditorium.htm)

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