New York’s Second Largest Subway System Celebrating Big Birthday

2024 has been a year of big milestones for people, places, and things in Western New York. Who knew that so many things happened over the years, happened in years that ended with the number four? But that has absolutely been the case. Just look at some of the events that happened in the 716 on "4" years.

In 1804, while working with the Holland Land Company, Joseph Ellicott laid out the initial plans for the City of Buffalo. Less than 50 years later, Buffalo saw significant completion of the Erie Canal in 1824 and the construction of the completion of St. Joseph Cathedral in 1844. Just ten years later, in 1854, the YMCA organized the Buffalo branch of the organization, and 30 years after that, former Buffalo Mayor Grover Cleveland was elected the 22nd President of the United States.

Several more '4' year milestones continued to happen for Buffalo:

• Construction of the famed and later doomed Buffalo Central Terminal began in 1924,
• The Niagara Section (I-190) of the New York State Thruway started construction in 1954,
• WGRZ-TV also started broadcasting in 1954,
• WBLK-FM started its reign over Buffalo radio in 1964,
• 1994 saw the completion of the KeyBank Center, then called Crossroads Arena,
• Byron Brown won the election to become Buffalo's first African American mayor in 2004,
• The fall of 2014 brought Snowvember to Western New York,
• Byron Brown announces he's leaving office in 2024.

Needless to say, years that end in 4 have a special place in Buffalo History. That's significant as our beloved Metro Rail system is celebrating its 40th birthday this week, as the subway system began above-ground operations in 1984.

Initially conceived in 1974, the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, with help from New York State and the Federal Government, began debuted operations of the light rail rapid transit system on October 9, 1984.

When the system opened 40 years ago, it ran its above-ground route, traveling just over one mile from War Memorial Auditorium to Buffalo's Theater District at Chippewa Street. In May 1985, the underground portion of the system opened, with trains running to Amherst Street Station. A year later, in November 1986, the system was extended to University Station.

Happy Birthday Metro Rail.