Amtrak Buffalo Exchange Street Replacement

BUMP

Update for October 18, 2020, where it seems like the station will open before 2021.








They are doing one hell of a job. Note, there's no bus terminal. Replaced by the kiss & ride.

Nice, thanks! Where's the snow?

Ribbon cutting and first train was 12:55 today, the Maple Leaf.

Looks great. Both Rochester and Buffalo have done a nice job of building modern stations with reminders of the past.

I thought limiting it to one platform seems a bit shortsighted, but I guess that is plenty for current traffic trends and given that Buffalo is close to the end of the Empire Service, I guess the flow is only in one direction depending on the time of day.

I am really surprised how close this location is to the wye where the Lake Shore Limited turns "west" (physically south). It's only about 3/4 of a mile. There is nothing much in the area or within the wye. Just some small buildings and a parking lot. This seems like a poor choice when one station could have consolidated both existing stations. Don't quite understand the reasoning.

Exchange Street station is less than 5 minutes walk from the ballpark, the arena, and the light rail, and ten minutes from downtown. The wye is in an industrial area not walkable from any of those. It would be absolutely ridiculous to forgo the well-sited Exchange Street station, which will be served by any future increases of Empire Service, in order to serve the LSL which will never be more frequent than daily.

Not bad, based on the pictures. One question: is there room for another platform on the far track?

So, slowly but surely, most of the mistakes of the ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s on the Empire Corridor have been corrected. We are left, IIRC, with only Depew to remind us of those aesthetically challenged years.

OK, I'll bite... in a pinch, would it be possible to use the industrial wye to get the LSL into Exchange Street to use the station if Depew was fouled by a derailment or otherwise unavailable? Probably the platform is way too short for a longer consist.

Reason I ask is because one time when I was riding in the 70s, the Rochester station was blocked by a freight derailment and Amtrak took me on the West Shore freight line around Rochester and used a grade crossing near the airport to let passengers depart and board (Chili Avenue?).

SA: There looks to be room for a second high platform at BFX - with the amount of current use is not necessary.

The trouble with building a second platform would be the needed ADA over or underpass along with a gauntlet
track for CSX freight train use which now easily bypasses the high platform on the second track.

All that would be needed is a short low-level platform area on the east end near the current temporary station
to access both tracks when it is deemed necessary.

At one time (late 1979 to Spring 1981) there once was a siding track under the elevated highway structure where
the RDC car Buffalo-Toronto train would lay up during the daytime between connecting runs. There once
was platform access to the south track and siding which is now gone.

I believe that you are right - BUF (Depew) is the only remaining Amtrak or predecessor station (open Fall 1979)
that dates from the "station replacement days" on the Empire Corridor...MACTRAXX

Roadgeek Adam wrote: ↑Mon Nov 09, 2020 12:10 am Ribbon cutting and first train was 12:55 today, the Maple Leaf.

What's the purpose of those two fences on the platform? Can't people still walk around them or notice the highway pole is in front of them?

The previous photo show similar fences on the opposite end of the platform. There is a caution, danger, or information sign that might explain the fences in both photos, but the texts are unreadable when the size of the photos are blown up. I doubt they are there for just artistic purposes.

It may have to do with an ADA requirement for wheelchair clearance. (The highway column does not appear to be in the center of the platform.)

MACTRAXX wrote: ↑Sat Nov 14, 2020 10:57 am At one time (1979-1981) there once was a siding track under the elevated highway structure where
the RDC car Buffalo-Toronto train would lay up during the daytime between connecting runs.

I believe that you are right - BUF (Depew) is the only remaining Amtrak or predecessor station
that dates from the "station replacement days" on the Empire Corridor.

Was the Buffalo-Toronto RDC a VIA service, using VIA RDCs?

Depew was built by NYSDOT and intended more as a suburban station (think Beltway, Metropark or 128). It
also has larger facilities such as heavy express and mail transload that would not be available downtown
at BFX.

I could be wrong, but wasn't the RDC service run by the TH&B?