Buffalo agency seeks public input on planned rail extension

The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) is holding a public meeting today in Amherst, New York, to discuss its planned rail expansion project.

Project renderings will be on display, including design and routing proposals. The meeting also marks the beginning of the environmental impact statement process, through which the agency will assess the project’s visual, noise, financial and economic impacts, NFTA officials said in a press release.

Building on previous studies — including NFTA's alternative analysis and transit-oriented development studies — the agency now is focusing on ways to extend Metro Rail beyond University Station.

The rail extension might run along Bailey Road to Eggert Road, or along Kenmore Avenue and Niagara Falls Boulevard in the Buffalo, New York, area. The project also might include 10 new stations.