Niagara Falls station (New York, 1978–2016)

Niagara Falls
The former Niagara Falls station building
Location	2701 Willard Avenue Niagara Falls, New York United States
Coordinates	43°06′49″N 79°01′54″W / 43.1135°N 79.0318°W / 43.1135; -79.0318Coordinates: 43°06′49″N 79°01′54″W / 43.1135°N 79.0318°W / 43.1135; -79.0318
Owned by	Owasco River Railway
Line(s)	Empire Corridor Niagara Subdivision
Platforms	2 island platforms
Tracks	3
Construction
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Status	Closed for passenger service
Station code	NFL (former)
History
Opened	Building: 1959 Amtrak station: October 29, 1978
Closed	December 6, 2016
Traffic
Passengers (2015)	31,831  2.5%
Services
Former services   Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station Terminus Empire Service 1978-2016 Buffalo–Exchange Street toward New York–Penn or New York–Grand Central Niagara Falls, ON toward Toronto Maple Leaf 1981-2016 St. Thomas, ON toward Detroit (MC Station) Niagara Rainbow 1978-1979 Buffalo–Exchange Street toward New York (Grand Central)

The Niagara Falls station was an Amtrak railroad station in Niagara Falls, New York operating from 1978 to 2016. It was replaced by the current Niagara Falls station. During its time, it was the western end of the Empire Corridor and served the Empire Service, Maple Leaf, and Niagara Rainbow lines.

The station opened in 1978, marking the return of the first passenger rail service to Niagara Falls since 1964. Its building was originally a freight warehouse for Lehigh Valley Railroad, built in 1959 It is located at Willard Avenue and 27th Street on the outskirts of town, about three miles from Niagara Falls and the city's downtown. It was replaced by the current station on December 6, 2016.

Rail service arrived in Niagara Falls around 1840, when the Buffalo and Niagara Falls Railroad completed the connection to Buffalo. As the town grew, prompted by the Erie Canal, the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge, and the Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power and Manufacturing Company, rail service increased. Eventually, three different passenger stations were operating at the same time. New York Central Railroad, which took over the Buffalo and Niagara Falls Railroad, built a new station downtown at Falls Avenue and 2nd Street in 1851. The Erie Railroad built its own station a block away at Niagara Street and 2nd Street. In 1887, New York Central built a new Union Station at Depot and 10th Avenue near the Suspension Bridge and the U.S. Customhouse; this became the city's main station and at its peak served ten different railroads.