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.
Both Libous’ press officer and Fenno said the money was never stipulated specifically for creating a passenger line, rather just track improvements in general, which is what it was eventually used for.
“The contract was to make overall improvements with the potential to improve passenger service down the line,” said Bijoy Datta, Libous’ spokesman.
Datta said Libous, the chair of the state senate Transportation Committee, was unaware of the latest unconfirmed $5 million dollar request for passenger service upgrades.
Fenno said if the railroad received money designated specifically for passenger service between Utica and Binghamton, that’s what it would be used for.
The NYS&W is still considering whether or not to abandon the stretch of railroad between Sherburne and Chenango Forks, Fenno said, which was damaged in last June’s flooding. The railroad has also come under fire for giving an option agreement to New York Regional Interconnect Inc., which allows the company land use rights to build its pending power line along the tracks.
Recently Senator James Seward (R-Milford) and Libous said the $400,000 the railroad has asked for to make repairs is not likely to come. Datta said Thursday the status has not changed.
“Senator Libous is going to do whatever it takes as far as stopping NYRI,” Datta said.
Officials from the DOT, Empire Development and the Commerce Chenango Economic Development Department were not available for comment after calls were made Thursday and Friday.