Buffalo, NY
Stop on the proposed 17,000-mile maglev network. Next stop: Rochester, NY (66.8 mi).
About Buffalo
Buffalo is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It lies in Western New York on the eastern shore of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River on the Canada–United States border, with a population of 278,349 at the 2020 census.
Source: Wikipedia summary (full article). Population and facts as published there.
Cost breakdown (proposal-scale estimates — see math)
| Item | Basis | Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal construction | Large-city terminal (parametric range $2–4B) | $3B |
| Land acquisition | Regional factor 1.0× on $200M base | $200M |
| Track: Buffalo → Rochester | 66.8 mi × $500M/mi | $33.4B |
| Annual operations (share) | Staffing, power, maintenance | $60M/yr |
| Stop total (excl. annual ops) | $36.6B |
Best terminal location (proposed)
The downtown Exchange Street station district. Exchange Street is Buffalo's current Amtrak station, two blocks from the Metro Rail and the Canalside waterfront redevelopment. The surrounding Cobblestone and Old First Ward blocks hold underused industrial land ideal for a terminal, and the site anchors the city's lakefront revival.
Before / after
Aerial mock-up (illustrative, not an engineering rendering). Left: the proposed site today. Right: with the maglev terminal.
- Batavia, NY — Genesee County seat midway on the I-90 corridor.
- Le Roy, NY — village on the historic rail line.
- The Pembroke corridor — exurban Thruway infill.