(rshsdepot) Buffalo, NY (Central Terminal)

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From The Buffalo News.
 
Original article and photo at:
_http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/buffaloerie/story/617241.html_ 
(http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/buffaloerie/story/617241.html) 
 
Bernie Wagenblast
 
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 
Buffalo's Central Terminal promoted as high-speed rail hub
Fast trains  could be accommodated  

By Brian Meyer
NEWS STAFF REPORTER

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. There’s talk of linking the Buffalo region with Albany and New 
York  City via trains that travel at 110 mph.
 
It’s an exciting vision that could help revitalize the East Side while  
preserving an architectural icon, said Central Terminal Restoration Corp.  
President Michael Miller.
 
“As you restore the terminal, you could also rent out space for hotels,  
residential and grade A office space,” he said.
 
More than 70 special events have been held at Central Terminal in recent  
years as activists continue with restoration efforts.
 
Its location on Paderewski Drive makes it perfect as a rail hub between  
Buffalo and points east, including Albany and New York, said Mark Lewandowski,  
the group’s vice president.
 
“There’s a reason Central Terminal was built where it was,” said  
Lewandowski, a railroad enthusiast who was raised in the neighborhood.
 
A high-speed rail line could easily be extended to Buffalo Niagara  
International Airport and even to the Walden Galleria, Lewandowski added.
 
Demolishing the 523,000- square-foot terminal would cost between $10  million 
and $20 million, according to studies, and some believe the remaining  land 
would be virtually worthless. A total renovation could be done for $50  million 
to $100 million, and preservationists said they’re confident federal  funds 
and outside grants could be snared.
 
The Common Council has already unanimously adopted a resolution supporting  
the terminal’s use as a prime station for any high-speed rail initiative. Bill  
sponsor David A. Franczyk noted that $8 billion in federal stimulus aid has 
been  approved for high-speed rail projects nationwide, with an additional $1 
billion  per year budgeted for each of the next five years. He disagrees with 
those who  suggest that such a link between Buffalo and Albany is a “pipe dream,
” and he’s  working with terminal advocates to build support.
 
Mayor Byron W. Brown also thinks Central Terminal would be a good location  
for a high-speed rail hub, he told The Buffalo News on Monday.
 
Letters are being sent to the area’s state and congressional delegations,  
Sens. Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, and Gov. David A.  Paterson.
 
What other project, asked Franczyk, would advance so many critical  
priorities, including energy conservation, historic preservation, neighborhood  
revitalization and perhaps even tourism?
 
“Isn’t this a perfect blend of factors?” he asked during Monday’s  meeting.
 
Both Franczyk and Brown said it would be misguided if high-speed trains  
ended up using Buffalo’s tiny Amtrak station on Exchange Street as a hub.
 
“That would be absolutely ridiculous,” said the mayor.
 
_bmeyer_@_buffnews.com_ (mailto:bmeyer@buffnews.com) 
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