NORWICH – A decision to repair or permanently abandon the flood-damaged stretch of the New York Susquehanna & Western Railroad from Greene to Sherburne could come within the next 60 days, NYS&W owner Walter Rich said Tuesday.

“We are still evaluating our options, no decision has been made yet,” Rich said, in a phone interview with The Evening Sun. “We don’t want to rush to conclusions.”

Late-June flooding damaged the tracks, prompting the company to file an article of abandonment, thus suspending travel on the rails that run parallel to state Route 12 through Chenango County.

Prior to the rail closure, the NYS&W had come under fire for giving New York Regional Interconnect Inc. – an Albany firm proposing to construct a high voltage power line through 44 miles of the county – a land rights option to erect the line on railroad right of ways.

When asked if the <a href="http://www.evesun.com/topics/news/NYRI/">NYRI</a> deal would have any impact on the NYS&W’s decision, Rich replied, “No.”