A New Niagara Falls International Railway Station

Mayor of Niagara Falls sees economic & cultural development, jobs and a future link to international high-speed rail

The City of Niagara Falls received a $16.5 million federal grant last October to construct the new-build portion of a station project (large structure on the left of rendering) that also involves revitalizing the historic U.S. Customhouse (gray stone building at far right; click to enlarge) built in 1863.

The funds are the final part of a $44 million project to create a new train station and transportation hub. It will house an Amtrak station and customs inspection facilities at the U.S.A.-Canada border. Renovation of the Customhouse will also include an Underground Railroad interpretive center. The building complex will be known as the Niagara Falls International Railway Station and Intermodal Transportation Center.

“The Niagara Falls Station will immediately energize our ongoing local revitalization efforts —to create a hub for transit-orientated economic development and a centerpiece for cultural tourism development,” said Paul Dyster, Mayor of Niagara Falls. “It no doubt means immediate construction jobs."

U.S. Rep. Louise Slaughter said “The new intermodal station will put passengers in the heart of the Falls and provide seamless links to other modes of transportation including trolley services." Slaughter and U.S. Senators Gillibrand and Schumer were instrumental in helping to advance the project in recent years.

The Niagara Falls Railway Station will also provide an important link to a proposed high-speed rail line on the existing Empire Corridor, connecting Buffalo, Albany, New York City and points in between. In April 2009, President Obama listed Buffalo as a high-speed rail candidate, and funding was awarded in January 2010 to begin laying a foundation in the Empire Corridor.

The U.S. High-Speed Rail Association envisions a Buffalo to Albany and NY City connection by 2025. They see a Toronto, Niagara Falls, Buffalo, Rochester connection happening even sooner, by 2020 (see Map, here).

Mayor Dyster said of the Niagara Falls project, "Perhaps most exciting of all, it gives us an opportunity to play a leading role in development of a high-speed rail system that is going to connect New York City to Toronto, one of the most exciting developments in transportation in all of North America over the next decade."

Mayor Dyster, together with with Organizing for America, will hold an educational meeting that will explain the High Speed Rail project and the benefits it will bring to Niagara Falls and all of Western New York. The public meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 15, 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM, at IBEW Union Hall, 8803 Niagara Falls Blvd, Niagara Falls, NY 14304. [MAP]

A resurgence of interest in passenger rail travel will reactivate our manufacturing sector and create much-needed jobs. Also, the hope is that our passenger rail system in the future will be powered mainly by clean, renewable energy, helping to end our dependency on oil and reduce our carbon footprint.

For additional information, see reports at WIVB.com, BuffaloNews.com and TonawandaNews.com.

[UPDATE] Tuesday, February 15: City to hold meeting on local high-speed rail plans today

U.S. Customhouse built in 1863 in Niagara Falls, NY

Hope for NY & U.S. High-Speed Rail

NY was recently awarded funding high-speed passenger rail from the federal government. But we won't be speeding from Buffalo to Albany and NY City on a high-speed train real soon, as suggested by the Adam Zyglis cartoon. The intent of the award is to begin "to lay the foundation for high-speed passenger rail". It's a small sum compared to the amount requested in the application: $151 million vs. several Billion dollars. Two other states fared much better: California received $2.34 Billion and Florida, $1.25 Billion. Possible reasons for the paltry funding to NY are reported in a recent article by Jerry Zremski in The Buffalo News. A table supplied by the White House shows the full list of funded projects.

But there is hope for additional funding, and plans are being made for the future. The U.S. High-Speed Rail Association envisions a Buffalo to Albany and NY City connection by 2025 (see Map below, magenta line). Interestingly, they see a Toronto, Niagara Falls, Buffalo, Rochester connection happening sooner, by 2020 (Map, orange line). And even sooner, by 2015, they see connections completed in California, Florida, the South East and the Mid-West (Map, green lines). By 2030, the Association envisions inter-connections (Map yellow lines) permitting coast to coast high-speed rail travel between Buffalo and San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and Seattle.

[Click image to enlarge]

The timeline for the national rail system starts with the largest cities in the busiest corridors, and then grows to connect those together across the country, forming the backbone of a sustainable U.S. transportation system. Other components of the system would include connecting regional and commuter rail, light rail, streetcars, electric buses and, weather permitting, bicycles.

A national system of high-speed passenger rail will help revitalize our economy, reactivate our manufacturing sector, and create lots and lots of much needed jobs. Also, by 2030, another hope is that our national high-speed rail system will be powered by clean, renewable energy, helping end our dependency on foreign oil and slashing our carbon footprint.

For Buffalonians itching to get the feel of high-speed rail travel, as well as the feeling of the warm weather in Florida, watch the video below which previews an upcoming meeting, "High Speed Rail 2010", March 4-5, in Orlando, Florida. Mobile link is here.

Beginnings of NY High-Speed Rail

In April 2009 the Obama administration listed Buffalo as a candidate for high-speed rail funding.

On Thursday, President Obama announced funding to begin to lay the foundation for high-speed passenger rail from Buffalo to Albany and New York City (the Empire Corridor), as well as for the North East Region and other regions of the country.


$151 million to help with high-speed rail projects

The federal stimulus money will be used for a series of projects along the Empire Corridor, including preliminary work on a third track between Rochester and Batavia and construction of a second track between Schenectady and Albany, as well as track improvements between Albany and Montreal.

The Depew and Rochester train stations also will be renovated to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act.

The amount of funding was far less than the $4.7 billion the state had sought. Of that total, $3.2 billion would have been targeted for a dedicated high-speed third track along the rail route and the rest for station, bridge and equipment improvements.

Advocates in Washington said that while the state had sought more funding, the amount it will receive still would be a major step toward 110-mph trains that would reduce travel time from Buffalo to Albany to 3½ hours and to New York City to less than six hours.

"I think this is wonderful," said Rep. Louise M. Slaughter, D-Fairport, who organized the 11-member Upstate New York Caucus early last year to push the rail project.

"I was hoping for a half-billion, but I'm happy with what we got. They're not going to start it and not finish it, and I'm going to make sure of that."

Read the report by Mark Sommer and Jerry Zremski in The Buffalo News.


Information from the White House:

New York - Albany - Buffalo:
The 468-mile Empire Corridor connects all of New York’s largest cities. The vision for the corridor is to increase speeds to 110mph and add daily round trips, with one of the largest investments being the construction of a third track between Albany and Buffalo.

The Northeast Region currently has the most integrated passenger rail network in the country. The vision for these rail corridors is to invest in projects that will boost speeds, cut trip times and strengthen the system as a real alternative to air and car travel. The seven intercity passenger rail corridors in the region are shown in the map.

[click image to enlarge]

Additional information from the White House on funding of these and other regions of the country is here.

In the NEWS

Riding the wind to new jobs - 7/16/2009
Wind power seen as a hot industry
Speakers at a conference hosted by Buffalo Niagara Enterprise suggested the Buffalo Niagara region is well-positioned to tap into the wind power manufacturing industry, if it can capitalize on resources it already has. The wind power industry is gaining appeal as other economic sectors struggle, and renewable energy draws more interest with the fluctuations in the cost of oil and environmental concerns. Read the full report Matt Glynn by in The Buffalo News.

Upstate NY representatives get money for high-speed rail line - 7/14/2009
The Upstate New York congressional delegation today secured federal money needed to lay the groundwork for a high-speed rail line from Buffalo to Albany. Five House members gained a subcommittee's approval of nearly $4.6 million to improve tracks and grade crossing safety across Upstate which is essential work for a high-speed passenger rail line. The money will pay for work to reconfigure existing tracks and improve existing warning devices, allowing for Amtrak's passenger rail to travel at higher speeds, according to Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-Fairport, chairwoman of the House Upstate New York Caucus. Read the full report in The Post-Standard.
See an earlier blog post on NY high-speed rail here.

Central Terminal won’t serve as rail hub - 7/15/2009
Buffalo’s Central Terminal will not be used as a train station if New York receives stimulus funds to build high-speed rail, a key Congress member said Tuesday. Rep. Louise M. Slaughter, who heads the Upstate New York Caucus, which has made bringing high-speed rail to Western and Central New York a top priority, said the station is ill-suited to become a rail hub again. “At first I had hoped [it could be], but I don’t think it’s situated in the right place,” said Slaughter, DFairport. Read the full report Mark Sommer by in The Buffalo News.
See an earlier blog post on an intermodal transportation center for the high-speed rail hub here.

Let’s rename Buffalo the Emerald City - 7/10/2009
Frank J. Hotchkiss, of the Western New York Apollo Alliance, believes in Buffalo’s green future.
Buffalo and the surrounding region have the potential to become the greenest location on the Great Lakes. The Emerald City will be the city that recognized the opportunity and seized the moment to build the yellow brick road to prosperity as the largest green manufacturing and services city in the United States. Buffalo and Western New York are in a competition to capture the new manufacturing businesses as our old established industries fade from the scene. We need to transition from “brown” smokestacks of old to “green” smokestacks of the future. Read the full My View article in The Buffalo News.

Gillibrand seeks aid for manufacturers - 7/8/2009
Western New York has lost 23,627 factory jobs since 2001, and the decline is accelerating
U. S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said that Congress should promptly pass legislation to help struggling New York manufacturers afford health insurance for their workers, open and expand new markets, and switch to cleaner energy production. Touting the historic importance of manufacturing to the state, she said support is critical, as the state “cannot rebuild our economy without our manufacturers.” The Democratic lawmaker said manufacturers “powered us through the 20th century, but have been among those hardest hit by these difficult economic times.” Read the full report by Jonathan D. Epstein in The Buffalo News.

Re: High-Speed Rail Corridor to Buffalo !

Bill Banas, director of the New Millennium Group of WNY, responded with thoughtful comments about the post entitled "High-Speed Rail Corridor to Buffalo !". He wrote:

Incredible, wonderful news, all of this... I'm starting to believe it will happen. This will be a fundamental shift in how people travel on this continent, and how capital and investment flow.

This could be something that sets Buffalo apart from other cities. Denver isn't getting it. Neither is Phoenix or Las Vegas. Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Orlando, and Miami have barely begun even thinking about the idea. It could be a game changer for Buffalo---but only if we are proactive enough to be one of the first to entirely embrace it.

First, Buffalo needs an intermodal transportation center (ITC). There have been plans for almost 15 years on the site of the Aud and the Donovan Building. Federal funding was allocated. It should have been built already, awaiting the high speed trains, but local leaders saw the future in more cars, more trucks, and more sprawl.

No matter---we can start again today an still be ahead of the pack. (In my opinion, the ITC should be downtown. When I get off of a train in the US, Canada, Europe or anywhere else in the world, I want to be in the city center.) The ITC should connect the high-speed inter city trains to our regional train system (including trains north to Niagara Falls and south to the ski areas).

Second, we need to build a new passenger train crossing over the Niagara River to Canada and on to Toronto.

Of course, a new passenger rail crossing to Canada and Toronto will have to be put in a location that already has access to rail infrastructure and rights-of-way. This is one of the reasons that many foresighted people in Buffalo have been fighting so hard for a better location for a new Peace Bridge.

The location of the existing Peace Bridge---it's lack of proximity to rail infrastructure and the lack of space in the vicinity---has stifled Buffalo's ability to take significant advantage of the massive amount of trade on our doorstep. Because of this, the vast majority of the trucks and people pass right on through without stopping.

Transportation, first by canal and then especially by rail, was what built Buffalo. It is our natural advantage---a confluence of Buffalo's location, topography, and geography---but only if we seize the opportunity now.

Does Buffalo want to be a doormat or a destination? Our actions regarding high-speed rail (and the Peace Bridge) will be the answer.

Bill Banas
The New Millennium Group of WNY

High-Speed Rail Corridor to Buffalo !

Obama lists Buffalo as high-speed rail candidate - 04/17/2009
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration announced Thursday that it is proceeding with plans to allow 10 rail corridors — including the Empire Corridor linking Buffalo and Albany —to compete for up to $13 billion in federal high-speed rail funding. Only six of the 10 corridors are expected to receive funding, but local lawmakers are hopeful, as the White House invited Rep. Louise M. Slaughter, the Fairport Democrat who is spearheading the upstate New York high-speed rail effort, to attend Thursday’s announcement.

While competition for the funding is expected to be fierce, local lawmakers believe the upstate route has an advantage because it could be built on a third track along an existing right of way. That means it could be built more quickly than other highspeed rail corridors — which is important because the first $8 billion aims to fund projects that are “shovel-ready.” “The ‘third track initiative’ is deserving of federal support and I intend to fight tooth and nail to make high-speed rail in upstate New York a reality,” Rep. Slaughter said. Read the report by Jerry Zremski, News Washington Bureau Chief, in The Buffalo News.
The map below shows the NY Empire Corridor, and how it would link Buffalo to Albany and NY City, as well as to the existing Northeast Corridor from Boston to Washington DC.


CSX to help on high-speed rail - 03/26/2009
WASHINGTON — The company that owns the right of way where an upstate high-speed rail line would be located is willing to work with government officials to get the new rail project going, lawmakers said Wednesday. CSX owns the right of way for the proposed high-speed rail line between Buffalo and Albany, where it currently runs freight trains. Both Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-NY, and Rep. Louise M. Slaughter, D-Fairport, met with Michael Ward, chief executive officer of CSX Corp. A CSX spokesman, said the meetings with the lawmakers were productive, and the participants agreed on the need for the company and government to cooperate on the project to make sure that upstate’s freight and passenger rail needs are met. Read the report by Jerry Zremski, News Washington Bureau Chief, in The Buffalo News.

Buffalo's Central Terminal promoted as high-speed rail hub - 03/24/2009
Fast trains could be accommodated

If high-speed railroad service becomes a reality between Western New York and other parts of the state, some East Side activists are lobbying to make Central Terminal the major hub.

Transforming the massive Art Deco landmark into a mixed-use complex that would accommodate fast-speed trains makes sense on several levels, they insisted Monday during a City Hall strategy session.
They said the terminal’s location only two miles from the downtown core, its abundant parking and its existing rail infrastructure make it an ideal site as officials eye plans for spending federal stimulus money on high-speed rail corridors. Read the report by Brian Meyer in The Buffalo News.

Extend Metro Rail to Central Terminal, Airport - 04/17/2009
Bravo! Now that The News has championed Metro Rail extension to the Central Terminal in order to accommodate high-speed rail passengers, how about going the whole way—to Buffalo Niagara International Airport? Think of it—intermodal connectivity in every direction. With Metro Rail extended to the airport and Transit Road, and with Amtrak available at the Central Terminal, anyone headed in either direction could use any mode of travel that’s convenient.
For instance, a visitor seeking low air fares could hop on Amtrak, connect to Metro Rail at the Central Terminal and reach the airport, all without the pressure of airport parking. Customers and employees of the airport or Amtrak could hop on Metro Rail at any convenient station and reach their destination, and leave the car at home.
Metro Rail is the world’s greenest mass transit, via hydropower from Niagara Falls. Connecting Metro Rail with Amtrak and the airport will demonstrate to the world that Western New York has the vision to build on this wonderful asset.
Gladys Gifford
President, Citizens Regional Transit Corp., Buffalo

High-speed rail line will benefit economy - 03/17/2009
The recent announcement by Gov. David Paterson about the development of a comprehensive rail plan for the state is welcome news indeed. Even more welcome is the growing support from all corners for high-speed rail, which will truly bring New York into the 21st century and will generate significant benefits for the upstate economy. As a family with sometimes weekly trips to Albany and New York City for both business and pleasure, we dream of a time when the state has a truly functional rail system. One that operates on time, with limited freight-train delays, making it possible to work while commuting, and saving energy. Read more here.
Woo-hoo, see you on the train!
Lucinda B. Ingalls
Buffalo

Improving rail system should be a ‘no-brainer’ - 07/23/2008
Last week, I took the train from Washington, D. C., to Buffalo. It was a pleasant trip, but what surprised me most was the cost: $71. That was less than the cost of the gas to drive, $83.50, and much less than the nonstop air fare, $600. It did take longer, but the seating was much more comfortable than the airplane and it avoided all of the hassle connected with airport congestion and auto traffic difficulties. There were a large number of people joining me for the trip. And I am sure we all saved gas and the production of large volumes of greenhouse gas.
With the airlines increasing costs and reducing service, you would think that it would be a “no-brainer” connected with the idea of improvement in the rail system. Read more here.
Philip J. Kintner
Colden