People Mad About New Metro Rail In Western New York

Plans are underway to begin a long-awaited upgrade and extension of the light rail public transportation system in Western New York, but the proposed expansion and extension of the NFTA Metro Rail into Tonawanda and Amherst is coming under fire from several renters and homeowners in Buffalo's Northtowns.

A group of people calling themselves Stop The Metro have been organizing against the plans to spend $1 billion to extend the Metro Rail approximately 7 miles from UB's South Campus along Bailey Ave, Niagara Falls Blvd, Maple Rd, onto UB's North Campus.

Primarily, the residents are concerned amount of noise and sheer disruption to their daily lives along Niagara Falls Blvd.

While officials from the NFTA have said that Metro Rail trains don't make much more noise than everyday vehicle traffic, that doesn't dissuade residents from their opposition.

While the start of construction is still several years off, the expansion of the Metro Rail would signify a big boost for Western New York and its economy.

Details About The Proposed Metro Rail Expansion & Extension

The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority released its Local Preferred Alternative Report in 2019 that breaks down the proposal expansion, including its goals and other various details.

The report ultimately recommends that the train be expanded to traverse Niagara Falls Blvd and that the region will potentially see millions of dollars in related economic activity, not to mention all of the jobs that this project would create.

This route of this proposal follows a majority of the original proposed route of the Metro Rail into Amherst and Tonawanda from the mid-1970s.

Buffalo and Western New York would be a much different region had these original plans been enacted in the 1970's. We'll just need to wait and see if the 716 is ready to move forward.