Railroads built America, and now they're remnants of a bygone era.
The sad reality was on display in a Reddit post about a deserted train station.
"The scale of abandoned train infrastructure in the U.S. is astonishing," one user wrote in r/F***cars, sharing photos of Buffalo Central Terminal in upstate New York.
Once a thriving hub of activity, the beautiful structure is now a shell of its former self. (Freaktography toured the station this month.)
The art deco building opened in 1929 and closed in 1979, according to the Central Terminal Restoration Corp., which acquired it in 1997. In 1984, it was placed on the New York State and National Registers of Historic Places. Two years later, it was sold at auction for $100,000.
A 10-year, $300 million restoration project that will include mixed-income housing has begun, 7 News reported, and the CTRC plans for the old terminal to become a civic venue to support cultural exchanges as well as tourism and local and regional enterprises.
The Reddit post sparked discussion about the decline of industry in the Rust Belt and the resulting fallout suffered by small towns. Many commenters noted old train depots have been repurposed in similar and faraway locales, including Cincinnati as well as Berlin.
Museums are popular choices, of course, and such spaces also play well as office buildings, parks, and more. The CTRC outlines amenities for residents as one of its priorities, including the enhancement of mobility and access options for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit, which could include bus and train service plus paratransit, bicycle, and rideshare facilities.
Though the revitalization effort is promising, it's disappointing that it had to come to that. Train travel is a widely lauded experience in countries around the globe because it is simple, inexpensive, and great for the planet, but North America took a different path. Redditors decried the takeover of car culture in the United States and the roles played by Big Auto and Big Oil.
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How much time do you spend commuting in the car each week? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Over an hour a day 😭 "The car lobby erasing history one lane at a time," one user wrote.
Someone else said: "Damn shame. Just a reminder that America wasn't built 'for cars.' It was built BY trains. Every major--and most minor--city in the country, from coast to coast, grew throughout the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century because of trains. Practically every town had a station nearby.
"Hell, you can go to the abandoned New Jersey Central terminal in Liberty State Park in Newark and see a sign for the Philadelphia Express that includes my little Borough that never had more than 6,000 residents."
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