KARISSA DOYLE
Special to The Leader
There’s a train station in Buffalo, so how about putting one in the Dunkirk-Fredonia area too? The Amtrak Train station is a system of railroads that run across the United States covering 46 states, the District of Columbia and even leaving the country, entering into some parts of Canada.
Specifically, Amtrak was founded in the 1970s when former president Richard Nixon signed the Rail Passenger Service Act, also known as the RPSA. This became the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, which we presently know as Amtrak.
Recently, there has been a push to add an Amtrak station to the Fredonia-Dunkirk area, but many are wondering if the potential station is worth the hassle. The idea itself is for the county to use the money given to us during the COVID-19 pandemic to fund the project.
But there’s a difference between funding a one-off purchase such as a million-dollar road snowblower for the harsh winters rather than putting this money into a project meant to have a long-term impact.
Ultimately, with the ARPA money given to the Dunkirk area, this has become what Vincent DeJoy, development director for this project, considers to be a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do some projects that will have reoccurring benefits.”
The driving force behind installing a local train station is the idea that it could help the economy in both Dunkirk and Northern Chautauqua County grow. DeJoy explained that a multimodal transportation hub would need to be created.
DeJoy said,“We believe that we have some attractive locations with good potential for site control.” He also added that the City of Dunkirk has been partnering with SUNY Fredonia to help improve enrollment from students in both downstate N.Y. and west to outside states with in-state tuition price agreements.
According to DeJoy, the City of Dunkirk believes that “local business and especially new manufacturing operations in Dunkirk such as at ImmunityBio will benefit having scheduled train service to Dunkirk.”
He continued, “Having an Amtrak stop puts us on the national map and can make it easier to recruit human talent for jobs needed to sustain our local business concerns, but also increase investment and the opportunity to enhance our tourism economy.”
However, at the moment, only a small amount of the COVID-19 funds have been used in order to look into the potential possibility of this. Establishing communication with railroads such as Amtrak and CSX Transportation to push forward the project further are still in its infant stages.
However, the potential of bringing a train station to Dunkirk is only in the present stage of being shaped and discussed, meaning nothing in regard to this project is entirely set in stone at this moment.
What this means is that presently, the main goal that the City of Dunkirk wants to achieve is to make the area an attractive spot for visitors, potential residents and those who may come for employment. SUNY Fredonia has partnered with this project, in hopes of raising enrollment.
By making Dunkirk more of an attractive travel location, many believe this could sway the higher-ups in charge of places such as Amtrak or CSX Transportation to consider Dunkirk as a location for a new train station. By having a train station in the area, SUNY Fredonia becomes more accessible to students who don’t live in the local area.