Buffalo Central Terminal

Central Terminal won’t serve as rail hub
By Mark Sommer
NEWS STAFF REPORTER
Updated: July 15, 2009, 7:57 AM

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. “[State] transit officials tell me it would not be suitable, which is too bad. I can tell you they absolutely love it; it’s the last of its kind left in the United States.”

Skip Carrier, a state Department of Transportation spokesman, later explained that the presence of several freight tracks at the northwestern section of the Central Terminal rail yard made the return of passenger service there unlikely.

“It is a very, very difficult situation, given the congestion with freight rail traffic,” Carrier said.

However, Slaughter said she “loves the building” and held out hope for the iconic Art Deco building’s future on Buffalo’s East Side.

“We have to do something for that terminal,” she said. “It is a jewel, and I am very excited about seeing what we can do. I think there will be some help down the road, but not in the high-speed rail bill.”

Mark Lewandowski, vice president of the Central Terminal Restoration Corp., which has led an effort to restore and reuse the facility, said he hopes the train station might still be considered.

“Things haven’t been finalized. Until they are, we remain optimistic that the Central Terminal will play an important role with high-speed rail in Western New York. We are still proceeding to prepare the terminal for future development,” Lewandowski said.

Slaughter said New York State should know in September if it will be one of the states eligible for $8 billion in stimulus funds for high-speed rail that President Obama has made a top priority.

Slaughter said nearly $4.6 million in federal funds is expected to be approved shortly for Western and upstate New York to improve grade crossings and signal devices, necessary steps before high-speed rail can be introduced.

msommer@buffnews.com