That said, I've done a semi-thorough reading of the planning documents for this project, including the Supplemental EIS. Based on what I've seen, this is a well-planned project that offers benefits for multiple groups--not just the scenic railroad.
Rail removal does represent an adverse effect to the corridor in question. However, other rail corridors that have been converted to rail-trails have been declared National Register-eligible (or listed). It does come down to mitigation.

I've stated before--this compromise plan is really a good thing for everyone. The rail operation will be extended for 45 miles, basically doubling the length of the currently operating line from Remsen. The railroad can also capitalize on an entirely new revenue source--hauling trail users. Hikers, bikers, skiers and snowmobile users get additional trail mileage. Local businesses get additional year-round patrons.

This has NOT been an aggressive takeover of the rail corridor. The tourist line has had two decades to extend operations northward; they didn't get it done. How much longer should the remaining corridor be effectively abandoned? Twenty years? Thirty? Fifty?

Based on your description of previous track rehabilitation efforts, the railroad apparently made great progress as long as the state poured cash into the ROW and did the actual track work. When that state funding dried up (16 years ago?), so did the railroad's progress on line rehabilitation.

That scenario alone undermines your assertions that the railroad has opened the corridor for all users. Seems to me that the state opened the corridor, the railroad was just along for the ride.

The proposed Supplemental EIS has been published, but no final Record of Decision yet.



That scenario alone undermines your assertions that the railroad has opened the corridor for all users. Seems to me that the state opened the corridor, the railroad was just along for the ride.

Again, time to pull the plug.

My responses are based on the 1996 Corridor Management Plan, the Proposed SEIS that was published in February, and extensive experience as an environmental project manager on transportation projects.

Furthermore, I have planned--and executed--many volunteer labor projects, in both a paid and non-paid status (hiking and biking trails, for your information). Based on that experience, I know that a moderately-sized volunteer-based group likely couldn't build & adequately maintain a 119-mile long hiking trail, much less a 119-mile long railroad.

I would suggest you read the planning documents and familiarize yourself with the stipulations of the 1996 Corridor Management Plan. You may then understand why the SEIS has been prepared. BTW, those documents were prepared--and will be approved by--the NYSDOT and the NYSDEC. They were NOT prepared (nor will be approved by) ARTA.

Mr. Gardner:

1996 Corridor Management Plan: http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/lands_forest ... cidump.pdf

2016 Proposed SEIS, with new preferred alternative:
http://www.apa.ny.gov/Mailing/2015/11/S ... 02-15b.pdf


Mr. Wolk:

1. I would ask that you refrain from insults. If you can't respectfully debate a topic, perhaps you should refrain from posting on RYPN.

3. The remainder of your post is based on emotion and personal feelings; I will therefore not respond.

4. No one stated that I'm the most knowledgeable person on RYPN regarding Section 106, NEPA, this project, or anything else. Far from it! This is a preservation-related community--I would assume that many members have extensive education & experience in these matters.

5. Read the documents!

Based on your description of previous track rehabilitation efforts, the railroad apparently made great progress as long as the state poured cash into the ROW and did the actual track work. When that state funding dried up (16 years ago?), so did the railroad's progress on line rehabilitation.

That scenario alone undermines your assertions that the railroad has opened the corridor for all users. Seems to me that the state opened the corridor, the railroad was just along for the ride.

Again, time to pull the plug.

"This won't be a quick read. Too long to submit to the Adirondack Daily Enterprise, who would just censure it anyway... ... If you're following the controversy that has enveloped the northern Adirondacks involving the planned destruction of the Historic Adirondack Railroad, you probably know most of this stuff. If you're uninformed, but curious of the details, I've tried to hit the main points of what's wrong with the current proposal, recently approved by our non -elected, non-representative government known in common circles as the APA (Adirondack Park Agency)

Why Alternative 7 is a Lose/Lose for all New Yorkers:

Back in 1996, the Adirondack Park Agency(APA), along with the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Dept. of Transportation (DOT) concluded a Unit Management Plan for the Remsen to Lake Placid Rail Corridor, called Alternative 6. 28 State Employees from those 3 agencies, along with 27 members of the local communities worked together to come up with a workable solution that balanced the needs and desires of snowmobilers, hikers, skiers, environmentalists, biologists, economists, historians, tourism specialists, and local business and political leaders. This plan took input from all parties and hammered out a path for the future. Alt 6 called for the rehabilitation of the entire railroad line. It also called for the State to develop a network of trails, utilizing the Right of Way (ROW) where possible, and seeking alternatives where wetlands and other obstacles would make a side by side impractical. Snowmobilers and XC skiers have use of the ROW through the winter months.

The plan was met with almost universal enthusiasm, and money was raised by grants and donations to renovate the railroad stations still existing along the tracks. Volunteers donated incalculable hours clearing the ROW, working on the stations, and preparing for the return of the railroad. State and Federal money was spent repairing the infrastructure; trestles, bridges, culverts, and ties. The line was opened from Lake Placid to Saranac Lake, and from Utica to Thendara. Seeing the progress, then Governor Pataki allocated millions of more dollars to further the project along, and expand the usable part of the line from Saranac Lake to Tupper Lake. For whatever reason, this money was diverted to other pressing local projects.

There always have been factions who wanted the rails removed. A group of pseudo environmentalists, of whom Dick Beamish is a leading spokesman, are driven by a goal of creating a Bob Marshall Wilderness in the western Adirondacks, nearly devoid of human presence, saw the RR as an impediment to their goals. Additionally, some of the snowmobile enthusiasts, led by Jim McCulley, feel the tracks deprive them of several weeks of the snowmobile season.

NY State seemed to drop the ball at the end of the Pataki administration. No further effort was put into continuing the rehabilitation of the tracks. The non-profit Adirondack Scenic Railroad (ASR) struggled to get started and ran at a deficit for a number of years. Then, nationwide, rail travel, which had been in decline since the end of World War Two, began to catch back on. Since 1996, passenger train use has increased 78%, and the trend points toward continued growth, not just in urban and suburban areas, but in rural regions, too. Ridership on the ASR began to grow. The railroad became self-sufficient for operational expenses, and has been able to service its’ debts.
With the State showing no interest in developing the rails or the trails, two entities began working towards the situation we have now. Next Stop Tupper Lake and Trails with Rails Action Committee (TRAC) , working hand in hand with DEC region 5 guidelines and personnel, began developing a trail route that follows the ROW where possible, and re-routes around impediments. The ROW is 100 ft wide for its entire length. A train requires, at most, 16 ft of that ROW. Part of what makes this railroad so scenic is that it passes through wet lands and lake shores on causeways and bridges, and the APA’s Alt 6 allowed for no expansion of the railbed in such places.

On the other side of the coin, the Bob Marshall Wilderness devotes joined forces with the snowmobile leaders, and with helping of multi-millionaire Lee Keet, formed the Adirondack Rail Trail Advocates (ARTA). Their common denominator is the wish for the removal of the railroad. ARTA members circulated petitions for a rail trail. Many who signed on those petitions had no clue that they were calling for the removal of the railroad. ARTA hired a consulting agency, Camoin Associates, to produce a report favoring a recreational trail in place of the railroad. The report dismissed the accepted Alt 6 out of hand, without ever analyzing the cost and return on investment for a restored rail and recreational trail. ARTA also invested in a lengthy discrediting of TRAC’s proposal for an intertwined recreational trail.

Without disagreeing with the enormous confluence of numbers found in the Camoin Report, I think it would be fair to say that the way those numbers are grouped together and presented obfuscates the true comparative facts. ARTA was able to get the ear of Governor Cuomo, who instructed the DEC to accept their proposal. A series of public hearings and public comments, held to portray an open search for consensus , was really a complete sham; a hoax perpetrated on the public to appear even handed. Public comment was overwhelmingly in favor of restoring the tracks and building a compatible recreational trail. The DEC claimed that public comment was nearly equal, 15,000 for and 15,000 against the rails. To come up with that, they had to discard 35,000 signed post cards calling for Rails with Trails. In truth public comment was 3:1 in favor of keeping the rails.
In adopting Alt 7, calling for the destruction of the Historic railroad from Lake Placid to Tupper Lake, and the creation of a paved, two tiered recreational trail in its place, the State chose to grossly confound the costs and potential returns.

The Camoin report gave a base price, based on national averages, for building a rough trail, and for upgrading the existing tracks. The costs were close to the same; about 10,000 more per mile for the trail, but the rehab cost for the tracks included getting rid of the ties, which is a huge expense, and that cost was not included in the trail price. A ball park figure of over $210,000 per mile is given, and it is stated that both options are close in price. The DEC makes only a passing note of additional costs in its proposal. Reading deeper into the Camoin report, we find that to build a trail as presented by the DEC, with an impervious surface suitable for strollers, street bikes, skates, and wheel chairs, along with the cost of removing the rails and ties, the price shoots way up to around $550,000 per mile.

What all this translates to is that it would cost between 7 and 8 million dollars to rehab the rails to Tupper Lake, to the quality that they could safely handle a train travelling 60 mph. To remove those rails, and build a paved trail from Lake Placid to Tupper Lake will cost about $18.7 million. Huge difference, but then there is more. If the rails are removed, since the rails are on the National Register of Historic Places, another $8 million already spent on their restoration will have to be returned to the Federal government. That brings the cost up to $26.7 million, but there’s still more.

Nothing in ARTA’s plans addresses the need to safely convey trail users across busy roads in and around Saranac Lake. The options are limited. They would involve new, on demand, traffic lights, bridges, or tunnels. Given the level of the water table heading out towards Ray Brook, it would seem that a tunnel would be out of the question. A bridge that would conform to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) would need ramps on both ends almost the length of a football field. This would add substantially to the cost of the project. 3 new traffic lights would substantially change the flow of traffic in and out of town. When asked about this, the DEC responded that they hadn’t yet given it any thought.

Clearly, it will be far more expensive to remove the tracks and build this trail than it would be to renovate the rails and build a harmonious network of trails around it.
Then we come to the potential benefits that could be reaped from either project. Obviously, anything that’s done will afford some benefits to the economy. A world class trail will draw many, particularly athletes, at least to the Lake Placid- Saranac Lake portion of the trail. Only a fool would argue that a renovated rail line connecting Lake Placid or Saranac Lake with AMTRAK in Utica wouldn’t be a boom to some local businesses. Predicting future use of either is at best an imperfect science. Obviously some local businesses would profit during the construction of either. There’s nothing to indicate that local businesses would actually be favored in the bidding process for the construction. New York laws favor larger contractors with union workers for these kinds of projects.

Looking at two studies done, the Camoin Associates study commissioned by ARTA and used by the DEC, and the Stone Report, commissioned by the railroad for their planning purposes, several conclusions can be drawn. The Camoin report, accepted and repeated by the DEC, projects that as many as 21 jobs will be added to the region because of the trail. In small towns, with average income well below the norm for the Northeast, that is significant. What the Camoin report didn’t take into account, however, is that about 25 jobs created by the railroad and RailExplorers, USA will be lost. Yes, you read that correctly. The DEC’s preferred option is to spend $26 million dollars, and be left with a net LOSS of 4 jobs. Is this the kind of financial insanity that the Cuomo administration wishes to be remembered for?
Going on to the Stone report, which incidentally formed it’s opinions back in 2012 , using lower ridership numbers and preceding the advent of RailExplorers, this report projects over 300 full time jobs added to the local economy when the railroad is rehabilitated and connects the northern end with AMTRAK in Utica. If that same $26 million were invested in the railroad, the long term economic benefits would be much better with the rail than with the trail.

What no one has yet contemplated is the synergistic cost/return for Alt 6, the rehabilitated rails and accompanying trails. It doesn’t take an overly imaginative mind to realize that a completed railroad could bring bikers, hikers, canoeists, and other adventurers into the remote scenic parts of the Park, with a low carbon footprint and minimal disturbance to flora and fauna. A family or group could strike out by bike from Lake Placid, and return via the train. Europeans and Oriental tourists, quite accustomed to rail travel would love to arrive in Tupper Lake via the train, rent a bike, explore, spend the night, and then continue on to Lake Placid or Saranac Lake. I believe there are presently 4 bypass areas along the route, but with a 100 ft wide ROW, ample room remains for additional sidings to be constructed in safe areas. That would allow the co-existence of tourist trains, dinner trains, theme trains, as well as Rail Explorers, to operate in harmony with scheduled round trip transportation.
The restored railroad, as envisioned by Alt 6, would provide emergency extraction for injured bikers and snowmobilers, a means to transport materials for construction and maintenance of the trails and shelters, and sanitary supplies. Looked at as a whole, Option 6 remains the very best option; in fact, the only sensible option for bringing economic renewal to the northern Adirondacks.

Another glaring problem with ARTA’s Alt 7 is the total disregard for Historic Preservation, as called for by the State Land Management Plan. ARTA hired a lawyer from the preservation board in an attempt to circumvent the preservation guidelines, presuming to replace the Historic rails with occasional historic markers. Alt 7 truly makes mockery of the whole concept of Historic Preservation. One of the cornerstone principles of Historic Preservation is that the BEST use of a historic asset is its’ intended use. When questioned by the APA as to whether or not it had followed the prescribed guide lines in regard to the rails being listed on both the State and the National List of Historic Places, the DEC gave the impression that it had. In truth, they had only asked Historic Preservation what the guidelines are, and were informed of them. The fact that the State Historic Preservation people have put the railroad at the top of the list of 7 sites in need of saving this year should be ample proof that the DEC betrayed the public’s trust on this issue. By itself, the DEC’s attempt to run roughshod over the concerns of so many New Yorkers should be enough to firmly put the brakes on this project and bring it back to the table and start from scratch. The voices of all concerned should be given appropriate weight.

The obvious conclusion, for Governor Andrew “Pay to Play “ Cuomo, the DOT, the DEC, and the APA is to go back to the already agreed upon Alt 6, invest the money and effort to bring it to fruition, and let the people of New York State enjoy the fruits of it. A combined restored and upgraded railroad, linking the Northern Adirondacks with AMTRAK , a tourist train through some of the most beautiful unspoiled wilderness in the world, along with a system of interconnected trails for snowmobiling, skiing, hiking, and biking will not only draw tourists from around the globe, but will also provide incredible recreational opportunities for local residents. Hotels, Inns, restaurants, shops, bike rentals, boat rentals, guides, and gas stations will all profit greatly from this venture. It will create hundreds of sustainable jobs. It will strengthen the local tax base. It will have a positive influence on education, athletics, and the arts. It’s a win/win for all New Yorkers."