Sen. Schumer: FRA OKs Niagara Falls Intermodal Center funding

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor
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The Federal Railroad Administration has finalized the grant agreement with local stakeholders unlocking $16.5 million in U.S. Department of Transportation funding for the Niagara Falls Intermodal Transportation Center in New York. U.S. Senator Charles Schumer wrote to FRA Administrator Joseph Szabo in July, urging the administrator to finalize this important grant agreement and allow this long awaited project to finally move forward.

Western New York stakeholders and Niagara Falls officials have planned for 24 years to redevelop and convert the site surrounding the 1863 U.S. Customs House at the base of Whirlpool International Bridge into an international rail hub for the region. This funding will finally allow the final phase to move forward.

“This federal funding will help pave the way for a state-of-the-art international rail station in Niagara Falls that will be a gateway for countless tourists and visitors who seek to enjoy the unrivaled majesty of the falls and all this region has to offer,” said Schumer. “The core of this area’s economy is tourism and this station will bolster our strongest job-creating industry.”



In addition to the previous restoration and rail phases, the Niagara Falls International Railway Station and Intermodal Center Project includes a 500 foot-long high-level platform and more than 26,000 square feet of new space. The station also incorporates the Customs House, built in 1863 and operated by the federal government until the 1980’s, as a border inspection facility once again. A new station building connected to the Customs House will house the Amtrak facilities that will serve both domestic and international travelers. This project will create a new transportation and cultural hub that will bring money, jobs and tourists to the area.

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