Buffalo Metro Rail
Metro Rail is the public transit rail system in Buffalo, New York, operated by the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority. The system consists of a single, light rail line that runs for most of the length of Main Street from the new DL&W Station in Canalside, to the south campus of the University at Buffalo in the northeast corner of the city. The first section of the line opened in October 1984 as the state's only rail transit system outside of the New York City after Rochester's was abandoned in June 1956. The system as originally planned was completed in November 1986 and expanded for the first time in December 2025. In, the system had a ridership of, or about per weekday as of.
History
Urban rail transit in Buffalo before 1950
Streetcars and interurban railways existed in Buffalo from the 1830s to 1950, with several lines also radiating into surrounding communities such as Tonawanda, Niagara Falls and even the Niagara Peninsula in Canada. These lines merged in 1902 to form the International Railway Company in 1902. With the rise in bus usage starting in the mid-1930s, streetcar ridership declined rapidly until 1950, with several streetcar lines being shuttered over time until the rail system was eliminated altogether.Planning and construction of current system
Despite the decline of Buffalo's industry and population over the next few decades, federal funds and a desire to revitalize downtown spurred the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, the IRC's successor, to construct the modern Metro Rail line, starting in 1979. It came amid a surge in light rail construction in mid-sized cities nationwide, as Denver, Portland, Sacramento, and San Jose also built systems at the same time.The line opened in stages: the surface portion opened on October 9, 1984, while the subway opened as far as Amherst Street Station on May 20, 1985, following an opening ceremony on May 18. The line was further extended to University Station, serving the University at Buffalo, on November 10, 1986, due to construction issues at LaSalle Station. At the time of the start of construction, the line was intended to be the first line for an extensive heavy rail system that would spread throughout the city and suburbs. However, during the construction of the line and afterward, Buffalo's population declined significantly by approximately 55% from around 580,000 in 1950 to about 261,000 in 2010 and the new line's ridership was much lower than originally anticipated. The cost of the urban section was so high that no funding was available to extend the lines into the suburbs, including the Amherst campus of the University at Buffalo. Efforts to obtain funding for feeder lines have historically been met with little to no success.
Renovations and expansion
Although a centerpiece of the original line, the downtown transit mall did not live up to expectations. Because of poor traffic patterns on Main Street, some business groups occasionally called for the removal of the transit system so that they can return to normal vehicle traffic and curbside parking.In 2008, Buffalo began a project to reintroduce cars to Main Street. The project in question involved creating a shared trackbed/roadway with curbside parking, as well as the permanent closure of the Theater Station, which occurred on February 18, 2013. The closure of Theater Station meant that Fountain Plaza Station, located south in the 500 block of Main Street, now serves as the northern terminus of the Free Fare Zone. On January 23, 2015, after less than two years of construction, traffic was reintroduced to the 600 block of Main Street, between Tupper and Chippewa Streets, in the Theater District. On December 15, 2015, traffic was reintroduced to the 500 block of Main Street, between Chippewa and Mohawk streets, in the Central Business District. In late 2022, traffic was reintroduced to Lower Main between Exchange and Scott Street. Work began in July 2023 to complete the final stretch of Cars Sharing Main Street, with work between Mohawk and Exchange. The project is being constructed in conjunction with the total replacement of the trackbed in the 400 block as well as the installation of a crossover track to decrease the effects of single-tracking during the process.
On January 9, 2017, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced in his State of the State address that funding would be secured for the Amherst and Cobblestone line extensions. If successful, this would be the first extension in the service's history. Funding for an environmental review into the Amherst extension was approved in 2018, and it was expected to take between 24 and 30 months.
In 2019 Tim Kennedy and Crystal People-Stokes secured a $100M state commitment to fund renovation and repair work throughout the system that had largely been delayed since the line's opening. The funding is intended for total track replacement, catenary replacements, fastener and pad replacements, as well as two station complete rebuilds and increased passenger comfort amenities at other stations. Following the reconstruction of Church Station, expected to begin in July 2024, NFTA intends to begin the process for a redesign of the Lafayette Square station.
DL&W Terminal renewal
The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority is redeveloping the former Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad terminal to include a new indoor Metro Rail DL&W station on the first floor, adjacent to the Buffalo River, with direct access to Canalside via the Buffalo Bricks Walkway. The project replaced the Special Events station and marked the first extension of Metro Rail service since the system opened.The station design includes capacity for two four-car trains, stair and escalator access to the terminal’s second floor. A $3 million enclosed pedestrian skybridge, partially funded with federal aid, will connect the second floor to the KeyBank Center.
NFTA partnered with developer Savarino Companies on a $30 million plan to redevelop the building’s first and second floors, totaling about of indoor space and of outdoor space. Although Savarino Companies ceased operations in August 2023, work on the $87 million project continued under a separate entity, Savarino DL&W Development, LLC. However, NFTA terminated the agreement with Savarino in November 2025, claiming the developer "fail to provide a viable business plan". The station and skybridge are expected to open in 2026, with the remainder of the redevelopment targeted for completion in 2027. Metro Rail service to DL&W station began on December 8, 2025.
Operations
Route
Metro Rail is a light rail transit system as characterized by the American Public Transportation Association, although it shares some characteristics with rapid transit.About 80% of its track is an underground subway with high-level platforms. This section has eight stations that are spaced fairly widely apart, comparable to subway systems elsewhere. This section is cut-and-cover from Allen/Medical Campus to Utica, then deep-bored from Delavan/Canisius College to University. The remaining 20% of its track are on the surface on Main Street in downtown Buffalo, which includes a brief underpass of Buffalo’s tallest building, the Seneca One Tower. On the surface section, trains interact with automobile traffic from the theater district where it emerges from the tunnel until Mohawk Street where it reverts to a transit mall and at cross streets, where movements are governed by traffic signals.
Metro Rail operates electric multiple-unit light rail vehicles in two-to-four car trains with power drawn from an overhead catenary system. Catenary poles on the surface section are spaced every to support the overhead electrical lines. Three-car trains are limited to rush hour and special events and four-car trains to special events. The Buffalo trains join Philadelphia's SEPTA light rail cars as the only modern non-articulated LRVs operating in the United States.
Stations
Fares
Fares are collected through a proof-of-payment system, enforced through random ticket inspections. Travel is free on the above ground portion of the system. Regular fare is $2; various passes are also available for sale. All stations have ticket machines. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NFTA temporarily suspended fare collection starting in late March 2020. Fare collection resumed on June 29, 2020.Schedules
Metro Rail runs as follows: Monday-Friday from 5:10am-12:50am, Saturdays from 7:05am-12:50am and Sundays and holidays from 8:00am-11:50pm. Trains run as often as once every ten minutes at rush hour and generally no less often than once every twenty minutes. In July 2008, the NFTA reported that the passenger count "eclipsed the previous year's tally by 23%." As a result, the following September, the NFTA implemented an earlier start for the weekday schedule in response to an 11% increase in ridership over eight months of growth.Ridership
Plans for expansion
Metro Rail was ranked 25th in the nation in light rail daily ridership service in 2013, with 5,058,300 passengers. However, it is noted that the line currently lacks extended branches to the suburbs, being confined to the city limits of Buffalo. One group, the Citizens Regional Transit Corporation, advocates for expansion. As indicated in its statement, the CRTC seeks to educate the public, public officials, their authorities, and agencies in the Buffalo-Niagara region about the benefits of a comprehensive transportation system including an expanded Metro Rail. In April 2011, the group stated that the 600 block of Main Street, which has Shea's Performing Arts Center along with hotels and bars, should be converted into a mixed automobile and rail system. The 600 block was re-opened to automobile traffic in 2015.In December 2012, the NFTA announced it had secured funding of $1.6 million to commission a study in 2013 of bus and rail access to University at Buffalo's North Campus. If a rail project were to be approved, the system would be running in 7–10 years. On February 28, 2013, it was announced that a group consisting of representatives from the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, planners from the City of Buffalo, the Buffalo Sabres and NFTA are working on a plan to extend the southern terminus of the rail line just beyond the NFTA rail yard at the DL&W Terminal to a new parking garage being built near the Medical Campus.