First, I would like to commend our U.S. Rep. Tom Reed, for his support for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The $1.2 trillion infrastructure plan allocates $80 billion for rail improvements. This legislation greatly supports Amtrak over the next five years.

Amtrak’s National Network will receive $ 16 billion and includes the Lake Shore Limited trains, $6 billion for Northeast Corridor and a Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Grants of $36 billion.

Amtrak released the “Connects US” document in May. It contains valuable information along with planned new multi-state corridors, which will be eligible for the $36 billion portion. Amtrak proposes covering 100% of the uncovered operating costs for the first two years then tapers down to the states after five years. The New York City to Cleveland corridor is in this document, which would be a new daytime roundtrip between these two cities in addition to the existing Lake Shore Limited trains.

Planned on this route west of Buffalo are two new stations. One would be in Ashtabula County, Ohio , the other in Chautauqua County. It is this information that has inspired local individuals, businesses, SUNY Fredonia and the city of Dunkirk to renew an effort for an Amtrak station stop here.

Back in the latter 1990s into 2001, a study and some work was done at the existing station at Third and Main streets. This was to become an inter-modal facility serving buses, cabs, and ride shares besides passenger trains. Amtrak approved the concept and listed Dunkirk in its Lake Shore Limited schedules in 1996 and 1997 as a date to be announced. With changes in local government leadership the project lost its inertia at that time.

Today the old station is utilized by the CSX freight railroad personnel. This existing station will not meet the current American Disabilities Act requirements at the passenger loading area on the platform, among other issues. A new site must be found that could meet current rail passenger station requirements to gain the approval of Amtrak, CSX and the New York State Department of Transportation.

Hence the positive vote by Dunkirk Common Council for a site study by Stone Consulting, which is familiar with DOT, freight and passenger railroad operating requirements. If approved a new multimodal facility could be constructed with Federal and State funding as set in the requirements of Section 209 of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act. This is how rail stations across New York state have been newly constructed or rebuilt in recent years. The new downtown Buffalo Exchange Street Station opened in November 2020.

Comparing what is needed at Dunkirk to the new Niagara Falls facility is way off base. The Niagara Falls station is not in the center of the City of Niagara Falls. In addition to a large passenger two level waiting area and offices, it contains a Federal Customs passenger inspection area and connects to the remodeled Underground Railroad Museum. Niagara Falls is the end point of Amtrak’s Empire Service trains with space for crew and servicing facilities. New road bridges, parking and track alignments were part of construction costs.

Ridership in the month of December 2021 on the Lake Shore Limited was 28,900 or 78% of December 2019, preCOVID. Did some of these passengers look out the window at the city and Lake Erie as they passed through Dunkirk? The current schedule of the Lake Shore Limited has this train passing through the City at 8:10 a.m. eastbound and 1:30 a.m. westbound. This train directly connects to 26 small towns and cities between Chicago and New York with a section splitting off to Boston at Albany-Rensselaer.

Dunkirk is 45 rail miles from the Buffalo-Depew station and 47 rail miles to the Erie, Pa., rail station. There is no commercial air service at Jamestown anymore. In 2019 the estimated subsidy from the Essential Air Service account of the US Department of Transportation for Jamestown was projected to be $ 2,980,688. The two Chautauqua County airports receive about $1 million or more a year in maintenance and improvement grants from the Federal government and New York state. Erie, Pa., airport is down to two cities for direct flights, Chicago and Charlotte. Erie, Pa., is now the home of the Lake Shore Coalition. The coalition was formed in July 2021 of passenger rail supporting organizations from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York advocating for more Amtrak service on the New York to Chicago route. These recent events support Dunkirk’s train station quest.

Amtrak is planning ahead for upgrading and new services. CAF, in Elmira, completed in 2021, orders for sleeping, dining, and baggage cars and more could come. Twenty-eight new Acela high-speed train sets for the Northeast Corridor are being constructed presently by Alstom in Hornell. An order for 125 new efficient diesel and bi-mode 125 mph locomotives are presently being built at Siemens Mobility in California. Their diesel engines are from Cummins in Seymour, Ind., added to the Siemens order are 83 complete train sets for present and future state corridors.

We must emphasize the positive reasons for an Amtrak station within the downtown area of Dunkirk. Lake Erie, the harborfront and City Pier are within walking distance. Businesses, the SUNY Incubator facility, restaurants and hotel are within walking distance.

Local industry personnel would have direct connections to businesses along this route. The population of Dunkirk, Fredonia, SUNY would also have direct connections. The Hispanic Community along with Native Americans and Amish would have direct connections.

Dunkirk would be the summer access point for events at Lily Dale and Chautauqua. Dunkirk is a direct driving route from Jamestown and Warren, Pa. Coach USA operates bus service from Jamestown to Buffalo via Dunkirk which could feed the station intermodal facility along with CARTS. Current Amtrak trains are 46% more efficient than driving and 34% more efficient than flying and will be more with the new equipment. Amtrak trains offer more comfort, seat room and wi-fi. Onboard upgrades are available for business class and sleeping cars. Food service is available in lounge cars for all and in dining cars for sleeper passengers. Onboard chefs are be returning to the diners on trains east of Chicago later this year.

This site study is only the first step for an Amtrak stop. Let’s not miss the train. Connect Dunkirk!

Roy Davis, a Dunkirk resident, is Chautauqua Region Coordinator for Empire State Passengers Association and railroad historian.