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In April of 2006
more than forty key interests came together at the Saranac Lake train
station to launch a major advocacy campaign on behalf of rail service in the
Adirondacks. The Adirondack On Track Partnership called for critical new
investment by the State of New York in the Adirondack rail line from Remsen,
near Utica, to Lake Placid, guaranteeing its future preservation and opening
the door to potential new services. Specifically, the Partnership is
targeting the Transportation Bond Act approved by state voters last fall.
There is unallocated funding in the Bond Act for upstate rail projects, and
the Partnership is pointing to the Adirondack line as an important target
for those available funds.
Currently, the line supports tourism train services between Lake Placid and
Tupper Lake and one in the Thendara area. The Lake Placid operation needs to
be extended from Saranac Lake to Tupper Lake to fulfill its potential,
making the run longer while also adding one of the most scenic stretches of
railway in the entire Adirondacks. The tri-lakes have been pointing to
Tupper Lake service as a way to promote area tourism by linking the three
villages and all of their attractions, including the new Natural History
Museum of the Adirondacks and other developments in Tupper Lake. Next Stop
Tupper Lake is a grassroots initiative which is already raising funds to
build a new station in the village in anticipation of restored service,
demonstrating local commitment.
The Partnership is supporting the rehabilitation of the Saranac Lake-Tupper
Lake segment as a first priority, but is also seeking the repair and
rehabilitation of the entire line, all the way to Utica. They note that it
is the only surviving line into the central Adirondacks and its tourism
destinations, and holds the potential for other future passenger and tourism
services if it is preserved. If restored to acceptable levels, it could also
accommodate freight shipments to existing companies such as Jarden Plastic
Solutions in Tupper Lake and support other economic development efforts,
reducing the need for costly truck movements.
The Adirondack On Track Partnership has been organized by the
Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber of Commerce along with the Tupper Lake
Chamber, the Saranac Lake Area Chamber and the Lake Placid/Essex County
Visitors Bureau. Its current membership, which is continuing to grow each
week, includes State Senators Betty Little and Raymond Meier, State Assembly
Members, Teresa Sayward and Dierdre Scozzafava, the Adirondack North Country
Association (ANCA), the Franklin County Legislature and Essex County Board
of Supervisors, the Adirondack Council, the Adirondack Association of Towns
and Villages, all of the tri-lakes local governments, and area business,
economic development and tourism groups. |
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