Steel is rising at the site of the new $27.7 million Exchange Street Train Station. The former brick bunker has been torn down and the new facility is being constructed in its place. A temporary structure is serving as a station until the new building opens next September. Built in 1952, the original Buffalo Station is an important stop along the Niagara Branch of the Empire Corridor, linking Buffalo, Niagara Falls and Toronto. Approximately 38,000 passengers use the station annually.

Seating capacity at the facility will increase from 20 to 40 persons, while the image of a Buffalo will also be featured at the center of the station’s Terrazzo floor. The existing station’s low-level platform will be replaced by a new train-level platform for easier boarding. The new station will also include a Taste NY kiosk that will provide food and beverage choices for passengers. Energy efficient and environmentally friendly materials will be used in the new station’s construction and the facility will be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

A planned second phase of the project will expand the station further to accommodate intercity bus service and additional train routes, creating an intermodal transit center for downtown Buffalo.