DL&W Terminal ready for influx of Sabres fans

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN)......Despite its ongoing redevelopment project, the DLW Terminal is poised and ready to welcome fans headed to KeyBank Center.

The historic South Park Avenue landmark - located just behind KeyBank Center and slightly south of the Canalside District - is in the midst of a nearly $100 million makeover with one of its signature developments completed and another due to be ready by this spring..

"There are no restrictions, because of the construction, for Sabres fans headed down to a game," said Darren Kempner, NFTA director of grants and development.

Kempner said most of the construction work takes places during traditional weekday hours - although there may be some moments when the work bleeds over to night time hours.

"It is pretty self-contained," Kempner said. "Our work is not in the way of Sabres' fans. I doubt there would be much overlap."

The NFTA, last December, unveiled its covered and weather-protected DL&W Metro Rail station - a $60 million project that created a Metro Rail station inside the building.

That station replaces the "Special Event" Metro Rail station that dropped passengers off near KeyBank Center's Sabres Store.

Now, the Metro Rail cars drop passengers off at either the Canalside or DL&W stations.

By next spring, the $8 million elevated pedestrian bridge running from the second floor of the DL&W Terminal across South Park Avenue and into the 100 level of KeyBank Center will open. The 200-foot-long bridge is considered one of the DL&W Terminal's signature developments.

"We'd love to have it activated in time for a bunch of Sabres' games," Kempner said. "It is trending that way."

Seeing the bridge completed and open is a "top priority" Kempner said.

From there, it was working on a number of upgrades to the terminal, Kempner said.

"Like any hold house, it takes time and quite a bit of money to keep it up," Kempner said.

The DL&W Terminal opened in 1917 handling both passenger and commercial train traffic. The last train pulled out of there in 1962 and the NFTA took ownership in 1979, primarily using the first floor for servicing its Metro Rail cars.