(rshsdepot) Rochester, NY

[Bernie Wagenblast <brwagenblast_@_comcast.net>]

Train station options unveiled
By Alan Morrell
Democrat and Chronicle

(Friday, January 11, 2002) -- An improved Amtrak train station complex in
Rochester could include a new urban park, a high-level platform, a
pedestrian bridge connecting the terminal with the train station and a
shuttle to downtown.

Those were some of the proposals the Genesee Transportation Council unveiled
Thursday night while presenting two multimillion-dollar alternatives to the
current station, built on Central Avenue in 1978. The meeting was held at
the Bausch & Lomb building of the Rochester Public Library downtown.

The alternatives would be building a new facility for about $6 million, or
renovating the current one for about $5 million.

Council members will accept public feedback until Feb. 15 before moving
ahead with the project. About a dozen people offered feedback Thursday
night -- many of them asking the council to consider incorporating a bus
station in the plans with the train station.

"If the stations aren't combined, Rochester will lose its reputation for
smartness," said Doug Midkiff of Fairport, a transportation consultant.
"We'll become a laughingstock."

The council is studying the improvements in anticipation of high-speed rail
service coming to Rochester. Rochester's station and tracks are not built to
accommodate those trains, which reach speeds up to 125 mph. Many speakers at
Thursday's meeting said the station needs high-level platforms now,
regardless of whether high-speed rail ever makes it here.

Douglas Fisher of Fishers, Ontario County, had even more grandiose ideas.
Fisher suggested the council consider using the nearby post office building
on Cumberland Street as a railroad depot and bus station.

"You're opening up a magnificent area to the High Falls. Yes, it expands the
cost, but consider the expansion of benefits."

The project would be done in phases, said Steve Gleason, executive director
of the Genesee Transportation Council. The first phase would involve a new
or renovated station, which would be positioned closer to North Clinton
Avenue to provide a better view of downtown.

The second phase would reconstruct the tracks and add a pedestrian bridge,
at a cost of about $12 million. The final phase would be spending about $2
million to spruce up North Clinton toward downtown.

Gleason said the ideas offered Thursday will be considered during a steering
committee meeting that will be held next week. He was less enthusiastic
about discussion of incorporating the train station with a bus station, but
he said the idea would be discussed.

Whatever the final plans, Rochesterians won't see anything new for several
years, Gleason said. "If funding is not an issue, it could be three or four
years from now," he said.

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