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A beautiful metro rail concourse in Buffalo, NY. The primary features of the station are steel sculptures in bold colors. However, in this photo I allowed the strong lines and light and shadow take the driver seat. It gives the station completely different character and mood.

Who is going to come up the escalator?

The steel sculptures at the station are by George Sugarman (1912–1999), New York, NY. Signature elements of George Sugarman's work were bold colors and the lack of pedestals.

The public transit rail system in Buffalo, NY is called Buffalo Metro Rail and is operated by NFTA (Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority). It's a single line running along Main Street running between First Niagara Center and the south campus of University at Buffalo. The southern portion operates at the street level at slow speeds like a tram, while the northern part underground at high speeds like a subway. Heading north (outbound), the trains enter the tunnel just past the Fountain Plaza station (past Shea's where construction is in full swing now [7/29/13]; the station replaced the permanently closed and demolished Theater Station that did not fit in the project design for combined train and automobile traffic). The underground section has 8 stops. The first three are in a shallow cut & cover section, the remaining 5 in a rock tunnel. The Delavan / Canisius College is the deepest one.

The Main Street metro rail line was built between 1979 and 1986.

Wondering why the mass transit in Buffalo does not enjoy as much popularity as in other cities? I am sure there are many reasons but I've also found out that a 42-day strike in 1969 had quite a bit to do with driving many customers away, possibly forever (yes, population decline, and suburban malls did their part too).

Another interesting fact is that fare zones and transfers were eliminated in 2010, simplifying the use of the Metro system in Buffalo. From my own experience that helps especially visitors who no longer have to figure out what ticket to buy. Try making sense of the New York City system, or even better, something like the system in Prague, Czech Republic.

Sources:

- History of Buffalo Metro
- Buffalo Metro Rail on Wikipedia

© Daniel Novak Photo - Buffalo Location Photography - Landscapes, Architecture, Cityscapes