Albany, N.Y. (WBEN) - An agreement reached in Albany will solidify a five year capital plan for the NFTA Metro Rail in Buffalo and money for extension of the light rail system to Amherst.
Governor Andrew Cuomo Saturday announced an agreement with Senator Tim Kennedy, Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, committing to $100 million for Metro Rail upkeep and repair. The agreement includes funding for $20 million a year over five years for the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority’s Metro Rail Main Street line, as well as $6 million for engineering work on the Metro Rail extension to Amherst when capital appropriations for the Department of Transportation are finalized this legislative session.
The money stemming from the agreement will help the NFTA pay for extensive renovations. Renovations to the Metro Rail will include, track bed replacement, fare collection system implementation, video surveillance upgrades, light rail vehicle upgrades and escalator rebuilds, as well as power supply upgrades and other safety features. The funding is expected to come from future capital funds expected to be appropriated later in the year.
“Modern transportation infrastructure is critical to growing local economies across the state, and for too long the neglected Metro Rail has kept pace with the needs of Western New York,” Governor Cuomo said. “This critical funding will upgrade this system into a 21st century railway that New Yorkers deserve, helping to grow the local economy and helping to ensure this remains a region on the move.”
Senator Tim Kennedy, Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, said, “Like many Western New Yorkers, I remember when Metro Rail was new and state-of-the-art. Unfortunately, it has suffered from years of disinvestment. The result has been a decaying system with reduced on-time performance and reduced frequency, both of which have produced a decrease in ridership, all while investment on Main Street from the University District to KeyBank Center has increased exponentially.
According to the NFTA, the light rail track in the system has rusted beyond repair, concrete track bed has crumbled, surface rail has cracked, and the system’s stations are rife with broken escalators and rusted interior panels. Replacement parts are no longer available for the communication and train control systems, and the system’s light rail vehicle rebuild program is ongoing. Further, the NFTA states that Metro Rail accounts for over 90 percent of the capital needs of the bus and rail system, with an annual average replacement need of $34 million, yet the rail system – until today – did not have a dedicated state transit capital allocation. The inclusion of this dedicated funding will position the NFTA to compete for Federal Transit Administration Capital Investment Grant program funding, which takes current capital financing into consideration when scoring funding applications.
In addition to the historic capital investment in Buffalo’s current light rail system, the DOT’s capital plan will include $6 million for preliminary engineering for the Amherst-Buffalo Metro Rail expansion project. This funding will bring preliminary engineering to 20 percent complete, allowing the project to compete for federal funding.
Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority Executive Director Kim Minkel said, "This funding is critical in our growing replacement needs and will allow us to make upgrades that will benefit our entire community."
Metro Rail was completed in the 1980s, at an original cost of $608 million. Construction began in May 1979 of the 6.2-mile Main Street line, which connects the University at Buffalo’s South Campus to Downtown, and was fully completed in 1986. Since then, aside from minor updates, the system has not received any significant upgrades, replacements, or renovations. In FYE 2013, Metro Rail boasted a 95% on-time performance rate and carried 6.2 million riders. With the system’s deterioration, in FYE 2018, Metro Rail’s on-time performance dropped to 85.5%, and ridership dropped to 4.5 million.