NORWICH – A state economic development agency claims the New York Susquehanna & Western railroad has received $4 million in state Department of Transportation money since 2000 to repair possibly soon-to-be-abandoned tracks, and is now asking for $5.4 million more. $5 million of the latest request is to reportedly make upgrades for passenger train service between Utica and Binghamton, with $400,000 for flood repairs between Sherburne and Chenango Forks.
The figures were disclosed in a March 6 letter sent to City of Norwich Mayor Joseph Maiurano from the Empire State Development Corporation’s downstate Chairman, Patrick Foye.
An NYS&W representative claims he can not confirm if the new $5.4 million bail-out plea was made, admitting the figures don’t add-up.
“You can’t start passenger service for $5 million dollars,” said NYS&W attorney Nathan Fenno, explaining that the sum supposedly asked for would never cover costs for passenger cars or the new stations that would be needed. “I’m not aware of it (the request), that doesn’t mean it didn’t happened.”
State and local officials have said funding for the railroad is not likely because there are no rail customers or prospects along the broken stretch.
Three million dollars of taxpayer money the NYS&W received in 2002 wasn’t enough to start passenger service from Binghamton to Syracuse, either, according to a 2004 report in the Syracuse Post-Standard. The funding, sponsored by Senator Tom Libous (R-Binghamton), was reportedly meant to create passenger service from Binghamton to Syracuse, which has yet to occur. It was not specified if the $3 million is part of the total $4 million sum the rail road has received from DOT since 2000.
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