William F. Walsh Regional Transportation Center

Former Syracuse station from platform, November 1994

When the financially desperate New York Central Railroad sold off its elevated right-of-way through downtown Syracuse to the State of New York in 1962, all rail service was re-routed onto a former freight bypass to the north of the city center. The elevated line and train station had been in service for less than 30 years, having replaced tracks that ran at-grade through the center of Washington Street.

With the former train route converted into Interstate 690 (a downtown highway, in vogue among mid-century urban planners), rail passengers were forced to use a "temporary" structure near the freight yards in East Syracuse, opened on August 29, 1962.[2] The East Syracuse station remained in use well into the Amtrak era, long after the end of its useful life. Bus service remained at the former train station until a 1996 fire. Both options proved decidedly unpopular, with the train station in particular becoming synonymous with Amtrak's many woes.

Opened in 1998, the Regional Transportation Center replaced both venues, re-integrating bus and rail service for the first time since the early 1960s. There were provisions built for OnTrack, Syracuse's commuter train line built on the former Lackawanna right-of-way through Armory Square, to call at the station. However, a bridge that was intended to connect the two lines was never built after CSX claimed construction could destabilize its freight rail bridge, and the OnTrack program was axed due to low ridership.[3] The station is named for William F. Walsh, a former mayor of Syracuse and representative in the U.S. Congress.

The station is built at ground level, with bus loading/unloading areas in front of the main entrance, and stairs and an elevator leading up to the tracks, which are on an embankment. A central concourse with shops and a waiting room links the two areas. Trains call at a single high-level island platform serving one (nominally eastbound) track; provisions were made for cross-platform transfers with OnTrack on the other side, but the program was canceled before service ever reached the station.

Amtrak Syracuse station platform

P Platform level	Track 3	← Freight service →
	Track 1	← Freight service →
	Track 2	←      Lake Shore Limited toward Chicago (Rochester) ←      Lake Shore Limited toward New York or Boston (Utica) → ←      Maple Leaf toward Toronto (Rochester) ←      Empire Service toward Niagara Falls (Rochester) ←      Empire Service, Maple Leaf toward New York (Rome) →
	Side platform, doors will open on the left or right
G	Street level	Exit/entrance and station building

Fifteen CENTRO bus routes serve the Walsh Regional Transportation Center from Auburn, Fulton, Liverpool, Oswego, Phoenix, Skaneateles, Syracuse, and nearby areas.[4]

The most frequently serviced corridor is between the Regional Transportation Center and the Downtown Syracuse CENTRO Transit Hub (at Salina and Adams Streets), via Route Nos. 16, 46, 50, 116, 216, 316, and 550. Transfers to buses serving other routes may be made at Destiny USA or the Downtown Transit Hub. Standard local fares are $2.00 per person; with children aged 6-9, seniors 65+ and persons with disabilities at $1.00 per person. Children under 6 are free.[5] Fares for the longer distance regional bus routes are on a zone basis, up to $4.00 each way per person for the Auburn (Aub36) line, and $5.00 for the Oswego (Osw46) line.[6][7]

• Central New York Regional Market - farmers' market
• Destiny USA (formerly the Carousel Center) - shopping mall
• Dinosaur Bar-B-Que
• NBT Bank Stadium - Syracuse Mets' baseball stadium
• Onondaga Lake Park
• Tipperary Hill

• Intermodal passenger transport

Wikimedia Commons has media related to William F. Walsh Regional Transportation Center.

• Official website
• Syracuse, NY – Amtrak
• Syracuse Amtrak Station (SYR) Great American Stations (Amtrak)
• Syracuse Amtrak Station (USA RailGuide - TrainWeb)