Metro Rail's potential continuation into Amherst is on track thanks to Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Empire State Development. This past month, the NFTA board of commissioners awarded the environmental review contract to the WSP Inc., one of the world's largest engineering firms. The study will be funded under the Governor's Buffalo II Program.

"This is an important step in the second phase of the Buffalo Billion that will ultimately connect communities as well as Buffalo Billion investments, and provide significant economic progress through rail expansion," ESD President, CEO and Commissioner Howard Zemsky said. "Thanks to Gov. Cuomo's leadership, we're now making critical investments in projects like the light rail, which will improve the overall reliability and connectivity of transportation services, as well as the upcoming DL&W station that will further enhance the region's quality of life."