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NY Senators Schumer and Gillibrand want Rochester's Amtrak Station named after Rep. Louise Slaughter

Tianna Manon
/
WXXI News
Credit Tianna Manon / WXXI News
/
WXXI News

New York U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand have written to Amtrak officials asking that the train station in Rochester be named in honor of their fellow Democrat and friend, Louise Slaughter.  The 88 year old Slaughter died early Friday at a Washington, D.C. hospital, after suffering a head injury when she fell in her D.C. apartment last week.

The two senators say that last October, after years of fighting to secure over $15 million in federal funding, the new train station opened.

Schumer and Gillibrand say that Slaughter “busted through every bureaucratic hurdle and was solely responsible for securing the necessary federal funding for a train station that will strengthen Rochester’s economy and help residents travel more safely and reliably throughout the region.”

The New York Senators are calling on Amtrak to rename the Rochester Intermodal Station the “Louise M. Slaughter Intermodal Station" in Rochester.

They say that Slaughter spearheaded the drive for $3.5 million in federal money to help design the new station, and then delivered another $15 million grant to construct the facility.

The senators note that Slaughter took care to oversee its development to ensure it would “be both a fitting new efficient gateway to Rochester that honored the legacy of Rochester’s original Claude Bragdon designed station, while being universally accessible to accommodate all passengers with a new modern ADA compliant concourse and platforms.” 

The Senators’ letter to Amtrak President and CEO Richard Anderson appears below:

Dear Mr. Anderson,

We write to ask that in recognition of U.S. Representative Louise M. Slaughter’s many achievements and tireless work on behalf of her constituents throughout the greater Rochester region that you name the Rochester Intermodal Station in her honor.  The simple fact is the new Rochester station would not now exist without Louise Slaughter’s vision and determination. 

Throughout her many decades of service in the U.S. Congress, her steadfast focus was to move Rochester forward and the new train station was no exception.  She first spearheaded the drive to secure a $3.5 million federal preliminary engineering grant to help design the new train station and then a $15 million Federal TIGER grant to construct the new station.  She then took care to oversee its development to ensure it would be both a fitting new efficient gateway to Rochester that honored the legacy of Rochester’s original Claude Bragdon designed station, while being universally accessible to accommodate all passengers with a new modern ADA compliant concourse and platforms. 

Since it’s opening in 2017, this modern efficient station has been a tremendous success providing thousands of riders with a fitting welcome to Rochester - the community that Congresswoman Slaughter loved and fought for every day.   For her many constituents who will pass through its doors in the decades to come and for those who may be making their first trip to Rochester, it is only fitting to now dedicate the Rochester Intermodal Station to our colleague Congresswoman Louise M. Slaughter.

Copyright 2018 WXXI News

Randy Gorbman is WXXI's Director of News and Public Affairs. Randy manages the day-to-day operations of WXXI News on radio, television, and online.