“This process needed a little more imagination, a little more vision, and a lot more guts. We’ve lost a generational opportunity to restore the Central Terminal and extend Buffalo’s renaissance into its neighborhoods.

“We should be capitalizing on our unique architecture and investing in our historic but forgotten neighborhoods.  Instead this is a decision to invest millions of dollars in the status quo – another station almost exactly where Exchange Street sits now, just on the opposite side of the tracks under a highway overpass – not the forward-thinking, bold vision this community deserves.

“This decision was not based on what train riders want, what Canalside visitors want or what the people of Western New York want, because they overwhelmingly support the Central Terminal.  In fact, 87.9% of public comments submitted to the train station selection committee favored the Central Terminal. This should have been a decision by Buffalo and for Buffalo.

“We don’t take up fights because they are easy, we fight for what’s right.  While I am disappointed by this missed opportunity I remain optimistic about the Central Terminal’s future, and will continue to fight for this historic treasure and the Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood.”

Central Terminal Restoration Corporation Thanks Buffalo Train Station Site Selection Committee For Consideration

The Central Terminal Restoration Corporation would like to thank the Buffalo Train Station Site Selection Committee for considering the Central Terminal as one of the top options for Buffalo’s new train station, and congratulate the downtown location for being selected. It’s a credit to the restoration work the CTRC has done over the years that the Central Terminal was one of the finalists in this process, and today’s announcement is an important step forward for rail travel in Buffalo.

“We were overwhelmed with the community support for our East Side landmark, and we can’t thank everyone enough who advocated for the Terminal during this process,” said Jim Hycner, chair of the Central Terminal Restoration Corporation Board of Directors. “We continue to move forward with daily work restoring and revitalizing the Central Terminal as we look toward a long-term future solution for this national landmark.”

Among the many people the Central Terminal Restoration Corporation would like to thank for their tireless work during this process: Congressman Brian Higgins, Common Council Member David A. Franczyk, Assemblywoman Crystal Peoples-Stokes, Assemblyman Sean Ryan, Senator Tim Kennedy, Common Council Member Darius Pridgen, Buffalo Comptroller Mark Schroeder, Legislator Betty Jean Grant, Legislator Barbara Miller-Williams, Preservation Buffalo Niagara, the Erie County Legislature and the City of Buffalo Common Council.

“We believe that restoration of the Central Terminal is a key to economic development on Buffalo’s East Side, and we’re doing everything we can to keep pushing that forward,” said CTRC Board of Directors member Mark Lewandowski. “We appreciate all the work done by Mayor Byron Brown and this train station selection committee, and we look forward to continuing to work with all of our political leaders on the restoration of the Terminal and commitment to the East Side.”