According to a recent study conducted by AAA, nearly 70% of family travelers are planning to take one or two vacations in 2017. While traveling by car or airplane might be a bit more popular, many would argue that there’s nothing quite like seeing the country on a locomotive. For Rochester residents, though, choosing Amtrak for transportation has historically presented more problems than solutions — until now. It’s been a long time coming, but the new Rochester train station is on track to open this fall. And this iteration has got a whole lot more to offer passengers.
Rochester’s train station as most residents know it was built 37 years ago, but the site was also the location of the city’s New York Central Station, which was built back in 1914. Construction crews working on the upgrades unearthed old passenger tunnels, which were filled in long ago. But the newest iteration will feature something very similar to that design: modern passengers will also have to pass through a tunnel at the transit center once it opens.
That’s not all the station will have. Passengers will be able to board trains from either side and, arguably best of all, they’ll be on a separate track from freight trains. Before, freight trains and Amtrak passenger trains had to share one lone track. Since 75 freight trains pass through Rochester on a daily basis, this often meant substantial delays for travelers. Now, trains are much more likely to stay on schedule.
The station will embrace more technology and offerings for tourists, too. Along with the new ticketing area, the station will feature a gift shop and food vendors. Electronic billboards will also be installed. In a recent survey, around 58% of respondents aged 18 and above learned about interesting area events from billboards, so it’ll likely be a great way to promote happenings in the Rochester community.
But for many Rochesterians, one of the best aspects of the upgrades is the fact that the station will be fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. For the past three decades, passengers have had to climb up steps or use a lift to board a train. Now, full access to ramps, elevators, escalators will be included.
Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, D-Fairport, who helped secure $15 million in grant funding from the Federal Railroad Administration for the project, emphasized how important this aspect of the expansion is to the Democrat and Chronicle.
“Our community is blessed to be close to so many major cities and this new state-of-the-art, ADA-compliant station will help move goods and people where they need to go and encourage new companies to open their doors right here in Monroe County,” said Slaughter.
Plus, it won’t hurt that the improved station will allow Rochester to be seen as a technological leader. Ed White of AIM Photonics told 13 WHAM that the train station upgrades will help attract Rochester’s new photonics institute attract national and international attention.
“They’re coming here to gain access to high-tech facilities, so this adds to the feeling this is a high-tech community,” White said.
Slaughter recently led a tour of the almost-complete facilities with local business owners and New York State DOT officials. After nearly three years of work, the upgrades are nothing less than first class.
The congresswoman said in a statement, “We’ll be able to show people that we are up to date here and there are goods and there are people that can be moved to where they need to go. That is one of the most important things for business people is that the infrastructure is up to date, and workable. A new company coming here wants to make sure that everybody’s working for them and the goods they produce are going to be able to get to markets wherever it may be.”
With any luck, Rochesterians and those passing through this fall will find that the new station is just the ticket.
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