A look at St. Paul's Union Depot

Check out the following link:

http://www.stpauluniondepot.com/

There is a concept video down on the right hand side which gives a timeline of services at the depot.

Content like this --- "While the location of the Union Depot is situated in closer proximity to downtown than the Central Terminal, there are still many lessons to be learned when examining an operational roadmap to recovery." --- makes me question everything.

The Union Depot in St. Paul is right in downtown. A comparison to Buffalo would be having the Central Terminal be on the site of the HSBC Atrium.

With this being the case, there is nothing that can be learned from this project. The CT is in the worst section of the city...both for a transportation hub and for development potential. Until people accept that and stop trying to make false comparisons no signifiant progress is going to be made at the CT.

Well put, longgone. The best site for a transportation hub is downtown. A good start would be a replacement for the Exchange Street station downtown. While I love the Central Terminal, its days as a rail hub are over.

Hasn't Amtrak repeated come out in saying that they will not support of returning rail traffic back to the Central Terminal?

That alone kills the Central Terminal as a transportation hub for Buffalo...unless we are willing to pony up the money to convince them otherwise. It might not be a bad thing either. Upon complete restoration, the Central Terminal will be the premier event space of Buffalo anyways.

Does anyone have any news about the Empire High Speed Rail Corridor? I heard some funds were allocated, but that was a few years ago now.

The Central Terminal is perfectly located with future routes already laid out along rail lines, especially the one headed toward the Int'l airport.

Patience oh you of little faith! lol

The Union Depot in St. Paul reminds me of our old Lehigh Valley Terminal formally located on the site of the Donovan Building. It was a fantastic railroad building.

I have posted a link to a 1934 picture of the terminal for comparisons.

http://wnyheritagepress.org/photos_week_2008/lehigh_valley_terminal/1934_photo.jpg

From the wonderful collection of the WNY Heritage Press

I would posit that a for a (relatively) small investment the Amtrak station can be reconstructed a few hundred yards down the track near Main Street and the Donovan building. It could then link to the Canalside metro station and serve as a multi modal hub. If Amtrak was to be located at the Central Terminal you would need exponentially more millions of dollars just to make it ready for reuse.

It does seem like St. Paul Union Station better as a paradigm for the adaptive reuse former DL&W terminal than it does for model for the restoration of Central Terminal. Bigger bang for the buck at the DL&W too.

Buffalo's central terminal is a lost cause.It should be torn down and and parts of the structure used to make site into something lthat can be used NOW.Check out what was done at the Larkin complex.

Yeah let's tear it down. It'd impeding the groups that want to develop there. oh wait....

The various levels of government aren't throwing tax payer money at so what have any of you to complain about. I'll take it slowly coming back then knocking it down and making another large unkempt lot.

Amtrak has said that they would begin servicing trains to the Central Terminal the next day if the Central Terminal was in condition to receive them and they were asked to do so.

The St. Louis Terminal is far more grand and lovely evoking either our LeHigh or DL&W Stations downtown. Remember that Buffalo had 3 and the Central Terminal is the only remaining. Had it been downtown, then it would have been demolished as well.

Honestly, what were they thinking demolishing so many buildings from our golden age?

Long term, Buffalo needs the Light Rail to the Larkin, Galleria & Airport then the Central Terminal makes sense. If not then I dont think that it does.

If that happens then the Bus Terminal should be relocated to the Central Terminal...and free up that space for the benefit of downtown like ECC or a business.

The only way to reuse Central Terminal is to revitalize the area around it. It has to be a big investment in that area around CT such as: clean up the area and put new Bills stadium with retractable roof right next to it for year round event purposes. There are more parking spots in potential there than in outer harbor. That way it would make perfect sence for CT to serve as the new Transportation hub with new business offices in that tower. Than you will see more retail, hotels and restaurants will be opening around the new stadium and Central Terminal. Extend light rail to CT from south, north and east of the metro area. The main point is, it has to be some big and major ivestment in the immediate area surroended CT for it to ever come back to life and succed! Also that would attract more people to Broadway Market and will help to revitalize Polonia District.

Clean up the area and put new Bills stadium right next to CT.

Take a look at Moscow subway map. Buffalo should have a similar subway circle around the entire city so people could change directions where they want to go by moving along the subway circle, switch trains and go to another direction they choose to. One of the stops on this circle could be Central Terminal/ new Bills Stadium station. By looking at Scajaquada 198 and 33 it almost looks like a circle around the city. Put a subway circle around that area either underground or above the ground.

http://see-you-in-moscow.com/blog/moscow_metro_map/2010-01-27-34

Ah, but there are plans in the works for the Buffalo Central Terminal working hand-in-hand with the surrounding neighborhood. As a poster stated above, "ye of little faith." Be watching for more information as we work to create the plans and partnerships for the future of the Terminal and the Broadway-Fillmore district.

Or it could be a bigger Subway Ring starting in downtown amtrak station along I-190 North to I-290 and go back to I-190 south again to create a complete subway circle to include Buffalo suburbs.

I think this would be a great idea we could learn from Denver Light Rail to put it along our local highways I-190 and I-290. Take a look at this photo.

http://www.helpingdenvermove.com/Blog/Photo-of-the-Day-Denver-Colorado-Light-Rail

To Paulsobo, we had 4 major railroad terminals starting with the grand New York Central Exchange Street Station. Ironically, the demise of that station and surrounding businesses is directly related to the opening of the Central Terminal. The Exchange Street Station was demolished in 1935.

http://wnyheritagepress.org/photos_week_2004/mcleods_hotel/central_right.jpg

http://wnyheritagepress.org/photos_week_2004/mcleods_hotel/central_left.jpg

http://wnyheritagepress.org/photos_week_2004/mcleods_hotel/exchange_st.jpg

Brilliant photos from the collection of the WNY Heritage Press

I disagree with putting a rail station downtown. I personally think its not the path forward particularly for High Speed Rail.

Lets remember the real reason for the location of the Central Terminal on the eastside (besides the belief that downtown would grow that big)....it was because the amount of rail traffic required a Rail Station and not a Rail Terminal.

All trains located downtown would enter the Terminal and then back out. A time consuming, inefficient, disruptive process.

The Larkin District is about 1 mile away. The airport and Galleria are not that far off either. We are not talking huge distances. Plus the Larkin District is growing.

Its worth restating that it is unwise to keep pumping money only into those areas already seen as worthy of gentrification. It creates enormous pressure to demolish and it does nothing to stop the troubled areas from spilling over and holding our good areas back.

We need to work to spread out the growth beyond Chippewa, beyong Elmwood, beyond Hertel, beyond those few area...which are in constant jeopardy from troubled areas...and put the effort to stabilize those troubled areas.
-Larkin, Masten, Hamlin, Humboldt, Central Terminal are all capable of renaissance and gentrification. Jobs are close by downtown and at the Life Sciences Campus...Airport is growing and so is the galleria.

Infact, the airport doesnt have the parking and needs light rail.

Come on Buffalo...get it right...stop thinking backwards

The Hamlin Park neighborhood could be partially stablized by vacating Eastwood Place, Glendale, one side of Hiughes and Long streets between Canisius, Main Street and the Humboldt Parkway and sell it to CC for university expansion.

The residents of the 80-odd houses (fairly compensated, of course, and I bet many are rentals anyways) could find comparable housing in the adjacent neighborhoods, CC would get some much needed real estate and 80 or so homes could be renovated/owner occupied.

Looking on Google at the Central Terminal, I see no space for a new stadium, unless you want to raze several city blocks. Putting the stadium to the south, literally on the other side of the tracks, makes absolutely no sense.