Flashback
25 years ago
South Campus rapid transit station opens
Construction of the South Campus station. Photo: UB ARCHIVES
A snip of a ribbon and a congratulatory handshake between Niagara Frontier Transit Authority chair Ray Gallagher and Ronald Stein, UB’s vice president for special programs, was the extent of the opening ceremony for the NFTA’s South Campus rail and bus station.
There were no speeches on Nov. 10, 1986—the day the South Campus station opened—to celebrate the occasion or to recall the events of the 14 years leading up to the dedication.
When ground was broken for UB’s North Campus on Oct. 31, 1968, there was the expectation that a rapid-transit line would connect the new campus to the city of Buffalo. In late 1972, a heavy-rail system stretching more than 12 miles with 19 stations was anticipated. Most of the route between the two UB campuses was to be below ground, with a completion date of November 1976.
Construction of a light-rail system began in November 1978, with work on the South Campus site commencing the following year. By January 1980, the desired depth of 70 feet for the South Campus station had been reached, and tunneling began.
Controversy surrounded the design of the South Campus station and plans for a route to the North Campus. In 1973, The Spectrum, the UB student newspaper, called plans—that later were dropped—for an overhead South Campus station as the “latest absurdity in urban planning.”
“Students and teachers may have to divide their attention between the ongoing class discussion and the D train passing outside the window,” the editorial read.
In 1980, the town of Amherst favored the expansion ofthe rail system to the North Campus, but after engineers concluded that an underground route in Amherst would be too difficult and expensive, town leaders had a change of heart. By 1992, plans for the extension were dropped.
—John Edens, University Archives
Reader Comments