"Really, this is about getting the conversation going," said Doug Funke, president of Citizens for Regional Transit. "Everything is on the table."

The meeting is slated for 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the United Way of Buffalo and Erie County, 742 Delaware Ave.

Crews have been working on the city-owned Exchange Street Station with an eye toward reopening, but the temporary closure has refocused attention on what type of rail facility should serve Buffalo.

Bruce B. Becker, president of the Empire State Passengers Association and a speaker at Wednesday's meeting, pointed out that Amtrak needs an outlying station, such as the current main facility in Depew, to accommodate long distance trains between New York and Chicago.

Buffalo's Central Terminal was established on the East Side back in 1929 for that purpose.

"A Chicago train, realistically, will never be downtown," Becker said. "Central Terminal needs to be considered, and another possibility is Seneca Street near Larkinville. That should be all looked at as part of the study process."

Amtrak, for its part, said in a statement Tuesday evening that the Exchange Street station is closed but service continues.