Your recent article about the possibility of high speed trains coming to Buffalo was hopeful and timely. However, it focused on passenger service, which, although could be a boon to the area, is small potatoes compared the economic boost that high-speed cargo trains could provide for the area.

The Port of New York is built out and there is no more room for growth. The port is simply too small now to handle the vast amounts of cargo, forcing them to use other ports, or delay delivery. That, of course, raises costs for everyone. Although the current recession has modified the problem somewhat, when the economy comes back, New York will be exacerbated.

Moreover, the large new cargo planes being built require extremely long runways, and are in any case prohibited from landing in high density population areas. That means that New York and other major US cities will not be able to service the big cargo planes. However, we are all aware that the Niagara Falls airport has a long enough runway, and isn’t anywhere near a dense urban population.

Therefore, planes can arrive from Asia in Niagara Falls, unload the cargo onto high-speed cargo trains and have them in New York (or perhaps Chicago, another city that has a crowded air traffic schedule) in just a few hours. Niagara Falls would benefit from the extra air traffic, the facilities to unload the planes, store cargo in warehouses, and transfer it to the trains. In fact, this would also be a solution for intercontinental passenger travel. Passengers from Europe and Asia can land in Niagara Falls, then transfer to a high-speed train and be back in New York or another city in just a few hours. The real benefit is that you will arrive in the center of the city, instead of a distant airport that requires a lengthy taxicab ride to the center city.

With high-speed rail, Buffalo could position itself as the major hub for international cargo and passenger travel for a 500 mile radius, serving the majority of the population of the North America.

Randall Reade,
President, Zipzone Ltd.
Washington, DC

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