Railroad still not running; businesses say effects minimal

NORWICH – Those living near the railroad probably don’t want their quiet secret out, but no trains have passed through the county since flood waters damaged it.

Town of Norwich Planning Board Chairman Ted Guinn told members of the county’s planning board Tuesday that the New York Susquehanna & Western Railroad had not chugged through since June 26. He said it was washed out near Chenango Asphalt in Norwich and within the hamlet of Brisben.

“This could squash a couple of projects we are trying to work on,” he said.

Town of Norwich officials and Chenango County Chamber of Commerce executives have worked for several months with a state Route 12 landowner and a biodielsel plant that would rely heavily on rail transportation.

The discussions are in the preliminary stages, Guinn said. “I don’t know how close they (the two parties) are to a purchase agreement. They haven’t locked in a deal.”

The plant would make ethanol from soybeans and distribute it via 30,000 railway cars a year. Chenango County Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Director Maureen Carpenter said the Texas-based company had purchased an option on the land.

Carpenter didn’t know until yesterday that the railroad wasn’t running. “No one has complained about it,” she said.

Nathan Fenno, NYS&W executive vice president, said the railroad has been able to serve all of its customers despite the disruption. He said no decision has been made about restoring service through the Chenango Valley.