(by Justin Sondel/AV) Looking up Paderewski Drive, it is impossible not to be taken in by the massive tower that rises above the surrounding blocks of two-story homes. The Art Deco building that has loomed over the East Side since 1929 is the most recognizable structure outside of downtown, and can be seen for miles. Apart from the occasional party or art show, its cavernous, once bustling halls now lay dormant. The last train to have pass through the station departed on October 28, 1979.
For the past six years the Central Terminal Restoration Corporation has been fighting to bring life back to the building, and the building’s champions hope that a new plan for a high-speed rail line to run through Buffalo may be the breath that will help to resuscitate the sleeping giant.
The Obama administration’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan includes a large appropriation for the development of public transportation infrastructure, with a focus on rail: $9 billion in the stimulus package for high-speed rail across the country. To that, add another $5 billion in the regular federal budget to be appropriated at $1 billion a year over the next five years.
“All of a sudden there is $14 billion available for high-speed rail initiatives across the country,” says New York State Assemblyman Sam Hoyt, who has been advocating high-speed rail for the past 20 years. “And because of the advocacy of Chuck Schumer, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Louise Slaughter at the federal level and David Paterson here in New York State, we see for the first time this kind of united front for high-speed rail.
