Buffalo — Heritage Streetcar Proposed

Rail Transit Online, October 2010

A $30,000 study will begin next month on a proposed streetcar line connecting downtown Buffalo and the Heritage Discovery Center. It will be conducted by Stone Consulting and financed by the Western New York Railway Historical Society and Citizens for Regional Transit.

The 1.6-mi. (2.57 km) route would utilize an abandoned Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad right-of-way currently owned by local transit agency NFTA. 'We've talked to the NFTA," Joseph Kocsis, president of the non-profit railway historical society, told Buffalo Rising. "They're interested but want to see how feasible it is both financially and from an engineering standpoint."

Kocsis suggested the line could easily be extended to the Cobblestone District and the Erie Canal Harbor where passengers could transfer to NFTA's light rail line. Another extension could be built to Riverfest Park. The historical society has volunteered to operate the line using either restored antique trolleys or newly-manufactured replicas. Financing the project is uncertain but Kocsis suggests that NFTA could be the lead agency because it's authorized to apply for federal funding.