Buffalo’s Central Terminal cannot be ruled out as a train hub if New York snares stimulus funds to build high-speed rail, a state transportation official said today in what terminal restoration advocates hailed as a welcome about-face.

One week earlier, Rep. Louise M. Slaughter said state transportation officials had concluded that the long-vacant East Side landmark would be ill-suited for high-speed rail.

On Tuesday, the Common Council passed a resolution reaffirming the city’s support to make the Central Terminal a regional rail stop. Lawmakers criticized project planners for striking a “nasty blow” to a distressed neighborhood. They accused state officials of basing their finding on faulty information.

Skip Carrier, the state DOT’s communications director, made it clear today that the Central Terminal has not been ruled out as a possible site.

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Claiming state transportation officials have struck a “nasty blow” to Buffalo’s distressed East Side, the Common Council wants decision-makers to reconsider the Central Terminal as a hub for a proposed high-speed rail line.

The Council today unanimously reaffirmed its support of a plan to use the long-vacant train station as a regional hub if New York receives stimulus funds to build high-speed rail.

Last week, Rep. Louise M. Slaughter, who heads the Upstate New York Caucus, said the Central Terminal is ill-suited to become a rail hub again. The group has made bringing high-speed rail to Western and Central New York a top priority.

Council President David A. Franczyk said the station was ruled out based on flawed information supplied by the state Department of Transportation. Franczyk said the officials referred to problems that would occur as a result of freight tracks located at the northwest corner of the terminal. There are no tracks in that spot, Franczyk insisted.

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“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.”

The Central Terminal Restoration Corporation’s response, as stated in the article, is as follows:

“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”

Mark Lewandowski
Vice President, Central Terminal Restoration Corporation
July 14, 2009

The full article is available on the Buffalo News website, which now allows comments from users. Supporters of our efforts are encouraged to share their opinion.

In an effort to promote the use of the Central Terminal as Buffalo’s proposed high speed rail hub, we have created a permanent web page that identifies all of the reasons why we should be the number one choice.

“Why not make this investment? We can only do it one time. Why not make this investment in a historic facility on Buffalo’s east side,” said Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown. “And not only resurrect this historic facility but also renovate the east side of Buffalo.”

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.

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Take a look at the WKBW news piece that aired last night.

Here is the story text from WKBW’s website:

The Buffalo Central Terminal was built in 1929 for high speed rail, away from downtown Buffalo. Now that piece of Buffalo’s past presently has the strong possibility for the future as the hub for high speed rail once again. Mark Lewandowski is a terminal board member and says this is a dream come true. “It’s a wish that we all had in the current vision of our board is to always consider rail as part of this project,” said Lewandowski.

Just a week ago Governor Paterson was touting a plan to use billions of federal stimulus dollars to connect New York City to Albany to Buffalo. Now some on Buffalo’s common council want to make sure the final stop is at a refurbished central terminal. “It could be used as an engine of restimulation for entire (area). It’s good for the City of Buffalo. It’s good for the East Side. It’s good for the neighborhood. This could be a spin-off affect.There could be restaurants open and people servicing the new hub thats there,” said Franczyk.

If it happens, it would be a rebirth of history for Lewandowski and those who have worked for more than 11 years to protect and preserve a part of buffalo’s history. “The goal was, it’s not about Central Terminal. It’s about the community surrounding the Central Terminal be it the Broadway Market, St. Stans, Corpus Christy and all the residents that still live here that still believe in the area. How Central Terminal goes so goes the neighborhood,” said Lewandowski.