NORWICH – Over the next few weeks, Commerce Chenango will be evaluating the feasibility of re-establishing business on the New York Susquehanna & Western Railroad in Chenango County and also the possibility of turning the broken tracks into a scenic railroad, representatives from the organization say.
Local officials and agents from Empire State Development and the New York state Department of Transportation met Friday at the Eaton Center to discuss what options are available if the NYS&W abandons its tracks from Sherburne south to Chenango Forks. The stretch has lacked business for years and was heavily damaged in June 2006 flooding.
“We’re planning for the worst, and hoping for the best,” said Commerce Chenango President and CEO Maureen Carpenter. “The meeting was positive. There are no decisions being made immediately. We’re still gathering a lot of information ... we’re not leaving anything to chance.”
Options include securing funds to re-open the line, taking over ownership locally to create a scenic railroad, or transforming the tracks into a public trail system, Carpenter said.
NYS&W spokespersons have said the company does not have the $400,000 needed to repair the broken stretch, which had no customers prior to getting shut down.
“That’s a lot of money to put into a place that has no customers we are servicing,” said railroad spokeswoman Melanie Boyer. “In the railroad industry, you have to allocate your assets where they can do the most good. Especially for safety, all railroads do that.”
Railroad customers from Sherburne up are being supplied from the north. That will not change, Boyer said.
Although just an idea at this point, Boyer confirmed that the railroad has discussed picking up the tracks and wooden ties and moving them to another location. However, she said the company still has not filed for abandonment yet, and isn’t sure when, or if, they will.
“No one is taking this lightly,” Boyer said. “This is not something that gets done overnight. It’s a rather lengthy process.”
Carpenter hopes the NYS&W allows at least a year before they officially begin abandonment proceedings.
“If they were to file for this abandonment now, we wouldn’t have a lot of time,” she said.
If the NYS&W files for abandonment with the U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB) in Washington, D.C., the Cooperstown-based company will have to prove the stretch from Sherburne to Chenango Forks has been a financial burden. From there, a public needs assessment would occur and, if interested, parties would have 45 days to formally protest the abandonment. The process could take up to four months to complete, according to the STB.
Before filing, Boyer said the company would like to know the state Department of Transportation’s position on their possible pull-out from Chenango County.
“The big question is what does DOT wants to do,” said Boyer. “Will they oppose the abandonment? Put money in the line? We would like to know what DOT’s position is. It’s positive that they came and met with the Chamber to get all the information.”
According to the state Department of Transportation, the NYS&W has received $12 million in state funding since 2001. It has received $4 million to upgrade the tracks from Binghamton to Utica.
DOT did return a voice message Monday afternoon, but was unavailable for comment by press time Tuesday.
Since 1982, the NYS&W has operated in this county – as it has in Broome, Madison and, until recently, Oneida – under a tax free agreement with the local Industrial Development Agency. In Chenango County, the railroads reportedly saves about $250k a year. The agreement expires in 2012.
Commerce Chenango will be conducting a scenic railroad feasibility study with both Madison and Oneida Counties. The staff will also be surveying businesses along the corridor to evaluate the possibility of increased usage for deliveries both in and out using the rail system. 
Without railroad tracks, local officials have said the area will not be considered for future development in the alternative fuels industry or other rail dependent projects.
The NYS&W stretch in Chenango County has been closed since June 2006. According to the STB, most rail companies don’t file for abandonment until their line has been shut down for more than two years.
“The most frequent type of abandonment requests the STB receives is from a railroad stating that the track has not been used for two years or more or that the track has so little traffic on it that it is clear that the carrier could not be making a profit on it,” an STB guide states.