Re: (rshsdepot) Binghamton, NY

["Paul Luchter" <luckyshow_@_mindspring.com>]

Sounds interesting..

1) I thought this Binghamton-Syracuse excursion train began last year, or
was that just a/the plan..

2) Did I once ask already-where are the old passenger station(s) of
Binghamton?]

3) How serious and how possible is this idea of Binghamton to Hoboken/NY ?

Paul
- ----- Original Message -----
From: "Bernie Wagenblast" <brwagenblast_@_comcast.net>
To: "Rail Depot List" <rshsdepot_@_lists.railfan.net>
Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2003 8:31 AM
Subject: (rshsdepot) Binghamton, NY


>
> Passenger train terminal in works
> Company plans to convert D&H freight house
> BY RYAN DEUEL
> Press & Sun-Bulletin
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> BINGHAMTON -- Passenger rail service in Binghamton has moved one step
closer
> to a reality.
>
> A private railroad company, with help from funds channeled through the
state
> Department of Transportation, recently purchased the Delaware and Hudson
> freight house on Chenango and Eldredge streets, with plans to convert the
> facility into a passenger railroad terminal.
>
> Nathan Fenno, vice president of the New York Susquehanna & Western
Railroad
> in Cooperstown, said the station will serve as valuable link for freight
and
> passengers traveling to Syracuse and eventually south to Scranton and New
> York City.
>
> It's a result of an effort between the state and NYS&W to upgrade tracks
> between Binghamton and Syracuse to provide improved freight service.
>
> DOT spokesman Peter Graves said the railroad company received $4 million
> through the passenger and freight rail program to upgrade the existing
> tracks between Binghamton and Syracuse. Part of those funds helped NYS&W
> purchase the Delaware and Hudson freight house in October for $210,000
from
> Bradco Supply Corp.
>
> In terms of passenger service, it's simply an added bonus, said state Sen.
> Thomas W. Libous, R-Binghamton, who has spearheaded the project.
>
> "The public needs to understand that this is about better freight service
> and economic development to Binghamton," he said. "It just makes sense to
> tack on passenger service."
>
> Graves underscored the importance of improved freight service and how it
> will affect economic development in Greater Binghamton.
>
> "Right now, the line is dilapidated, which means it's inefficient for
> transporting freight because the trains can't go very fast," Graves said.
> "The key to freight service is speed. And if a hauler knows he can get his
> product to Syracuse quickly and possibly more cost effectively, than it
> becomes another viable service."
>
> Hauling freight via rail also may reduce interstate truck traffic and be
> more environmentally friendly by cutting down on emissions, Graves said.
>
> Fenno said he expects passenger excursions between Binghamton and Syracuse
> to begin sometime next year, but he doesn't see regularly scheduled
service
> unless more state funding comes through.
>
> "This is a public policy issue," he said. "But we want to be sure that if
> the state gives us the go-ahead, we'll have the infrastructure in place."
>
> After the upgrades, the trip is expected to take between 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
>
> NYS&W operates the Syracuse OnTrack train -- which runs from the Syracuse
> University Carrier Dome to the Carousel Mall -- and owns train stations in
> Cortland, Marathon and Utica.
>
> In a completely separate series of projects, Binghamton eventually could
> link to New York City through Scranton, Pa., and Hoboken, N.J.
>
> Unlike the line between Binghamton and Syracuse, however, the line to
> Hoboken is owned by a pastiche of private and public companies, including
> Canadian Pacific, Lackawanna County Rail Authority and New Jersey Transit.
>
> New Jersey Transit is seeking $200 million in funding through the Federal
> Transit Authority to complete the line to Pennsylvania by 2006.
>
> Libous said making Binghamton a transportation hub is the ultimate goal.
> Rail lines from Syracuse, Utica, Oneonta, Buffalo, Jamestown and Scranton,
> Pa., already converge in the city.
>
> "Binghamton sits at several crossroads," he said. "The new inter-modal bus
> terminal will be just a stone's throw away from the train station. Plus
the
> upgrade of 17 to I-86 -- all will greatly impact Binghamton's economic
> development."
>
> =================================
> The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
> railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org
>

=================================
The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

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End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #793
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=================================
The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org