Senator Cooney Delivers $18M in NYS Budget To Construct Long-Distance Bus Terminal At The Louise Slaughter Station

(ALBANY, NY) - Senator Jeremy Cooney (D-Rochester) today announced that $18 million in this year’s FY25 New York State budget will go towards the long-awaited construction of a new bus terminal at the Louise M. Slaughter Station. After visiting the station last month to announce his funding push for the project, Senator Cooney explained that he, along with Governor Hochul and his colleagues in Rochester’s state delegation, secured the funds necessary to fund the terminal’s construction and finally create the intermodal station that Congresswoman Louise Slaughter always envisioned. The Senator said that the current Trailways station across the street from the train station was always meant to be temporary; however, it has now been in operation for the past 12 years. 

Senator Cooney also thanked U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, who was instrumental in making the project a reality by helping to secure a commitment from Amtrak to operate the new terminal. 

“First impressions are everything, but our current long-distance bus station has done us no favors with travelers coming into our city,” said Senator Jeremy Cooney. “Congresswoman Slaughter always envisioned a shared station for buses and trains, and I’m proud to say that we are finally fulfilling that mission. I want to thank Governor Hochul for working with us to secure funding in this year’s budget, as well as Senator Schumer for leading the effort at the federal level. The bus terminal is a major gateway to Downtown Rochester and soon we’ll have a station our community can be truly proud of.” 

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer said, “I’m thrilled to announce that with the support and commitment I secured from Amtrak we are full steam ahead to expand Rochester’s Louise M. Slaughter Amtrak Station with a new, long distance bus station addition that will welcome the thousands of visitors, tourists, college students, and more who travel to Rochester each year with a permanent and modern transit station. I applaud State Senator Jeremy Cooney for leading the charge to secure this $18 million investment that will not only give passengers and Rochester the modern travel gateway they deserve but also realize a decades-long dream championed by my dear colleague Louise Slaughter to create a truly intermodal station with seamless connections for travelers whether they arrive by bus or rail. I was glad to work with Amtrak to secure its commitment to the project in order to make this expansion a reality. I appreciate Amtrak’s support and continued operation of the now soon-to-be expanded intermodal station.”

Mary Staropoli, Executive Director of Reconnect Rochester said, “At Reconnect Rochester, we are celebrating the news that people traveling to and from our region by bus will at last be provided what they deserve – a comfortable and respectable place to wait. How we spend our public dollars is a reflection of who and what we value. We thank Governor Hochul and the New York State Legislature for showing that they care about the safety and experience of intercity bus travelers, including tens of thousands of university students who travel to and from home by bus. We owe this win to State Senator Jeremy Cooney for his persistence in championing this project, the unanimous support of our State Delegation, and all the organizations that provided letters expressing the importance of this project for our community. Thanks also to more than 500 concerned citizens who signed our petition calling for this investment, proving that citizen action works! We look forward to collaborating with NYSDOT, Amtrak, the intercity bus operators and other partners to shape this project and facility to be more than just a bus terminal addition. Together, we aim to achieve a broader vision for the Louise M. Slaughter Intermodal Station to become a regional mobility hub and gateway to our region that she and we can all be proud of.”

Senator Cooney explained that as Congresswoman Louise Slaughter advocated for and secured funds for the new Amtrak station (which opened in 2017), the plan was always to have a “Phase II” to include a bus terminal and make the station intermodal. In 2012, a temporary Trailways station was constructed across the street from the train station, but it has now been in operation for over a decade. Due to the size and set-up of the trailer, other bus companies are often forced to drop off passengers on the side of the street, creating an inconvenient and sometimes unsafe situation for people entering the city. Senator Cooney has had discussions with the bus companies, like Trailways and Greyhound, who have expressed their support for the proposed project. 

Reconnect Rochester has also played a significant role in engaging the community and creating a public campaign to build support for the new station. The organization has been gathering signatures for a petition and has collected testimony from passengers throughout these conversations. Senator Cooney thanked the organization for their partnership and advocacy to help make the funding a reality. 

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