Rochester station (New York)

Rochester
An eastbound Empire Service pulling into Rochester
Location	320 Central Avenue Rochester, NY 14605
Coordinates	43°09′49″N 77°36′30″W / 43.1635°N 77.6082°W / 43.1635; -77.6082Coordinates: 43°09′49″N 77°36′30″W / 43.1635°N 77.6082°W / 43.1635; -77.6082
Owned by	Amtrak
Line(s)	Empire Corridor
Platforms	1 side platform (formerly also had 3 island platforms)
Tracks	2 (formerly 8)
Construction
Parking	Yes; free
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	ROC
History
Opened	1978
Rebuilt	2017 (Expected)
Traffic
Passengers (2015)	136,861[1]  2%
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station Buffalo-Depew toward Niagara Falls, NY Empire Service Syracuse toward New York City New York State Fair (Open only during the New York State Fair) toward New York City Buffalo–Depew toward Chicago Lake Shore Limited Syracuse toward New York City or Boston South Station Buffalo-Depew toward Toronto Maple Leaf Syracuse toward New York City New York State Fair (Open only during the New York State Fair) toward New York City   Former services   New York Central Railroad Cold Water toward Chicago Water Level Route East Rochester toward New York City Otis toward Niagara Falls Niagara Falls – Rochester Terminus Elmgrove toward Niagara Falls Falls Road Terminus Rochester – Oswego Otis toward Oswego Auburn Road Brighton toward Syracuse

Rochester is a station on the Empire Corridor (Empire Service) Amtrak line, located in Rochester, New York.

All trains currently use the platform adjacent to the station building, meaning both eastbound and westbound trains must switch to the southern track. This can cause conflicts with other passenger and freight trains and lead to delays.

The current station does not have high-level platforms, meaning passengers must climb several steps to board trains.

History

The station was originally built in 1978^[2] and stands on the site of the 1914 New York Central station designed by Claude Fayette Bragdon. The 1914 station was mostly demolished in 1965 after a sale to private owners except for the run down westernmost portion which served as the station in the interim which was demolished to make way for the 1978 Amtrak facility.^[3] The passenger, baggage tunnels and platform canopy of the original 1914 building were the last remaining remnants of the previous station however the tunnels were recently filled in during the construction of the new station, the canopy remains.

Future

The construction of a new multimodel transit center is currently underway set to be opened by 2017. The project has been allocated by The City of Rochester, State of New York, and Amtrak US$26.5 million (later US$29.5 million) for construction, and broke ground on October, 28th 2014.^{[4] [5]} The new two floor station will be designed to look like the original 1914 station and will be updated with raised center platforms with a tunnel underneath the tracks connecting the tunnel with the station building.^[6] The new station will also allocate parking for Greyhound and Trailways buses, which currently stop at a temporary facility across the street, and will be built with accommodations for the possible high-speed rail service on the corridor in mind. ^[4]

Service

Mixed coaches in service in 2002

The following trains stop at Rochester multiple times each day, for a total of eight daily departures:

• Empire Service
• Lake Shore Limited
• Maple Leaf

Immigration Checkpoint

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents^[7] board the trains at Rochester and inquire of the passengers their citizenship and right to be in the US. Those passengers who cannot suitably prove their right to be in the US will be removed from the train and taken into custody. Although the law is that these encounters are "consensual conversations^[8]" and that you can tell the agent you do not wish to talk to him or to answer any questions, the more aggressive agents will take this refusal to be "probable cause^[9]" for removal from the train and detention, no matter your citizenship and/or immigration status.

References

External links

• Amtrak – Stations – Rochester, NY
• New York Central Railroad Station, Rochester
• Rochester Amtrak Station (USA Rail Guide – Train Web)
• Intermodel Transportation Center DOT Project
• Intermodel Transportation Center DOT preliminary Project
• Rochester, NY (ROC) (Amtrak's Great American Stations)