Shuttered railway’s future uncertain

QUEENSBURY, N.Y. » Warren County Supervisors’ Public Works Committee is scheduled to meet Friday to discuss future plans for the recentlyclosed Saratoga & North Creek Railway.

The scenic rail line, operated by Chicago-based Iowa Pacific Holdings LLC, failed to open this year for financial reasons and the firm’s contract with Warren County and the town of Corinth, which own the tracks, has been terminated.

The Public Works Committee is expected to discuss the possibility of leasing operations to another firm, or developing new plans for the rail corridor such as a multi-use recreation trail. However, most of the meeting is expected to be in executive session, said committee Chairman Matt Simpson of Horicon.

“We have to really analyze everything here,”

he said. “Nothing is off the table at this point. There has been no predetermination about which direction to go. We want to figure out what’s best for Warren County.”

The county owns the tracks from Anton Mountain Road in Corinth to North Creek.

Tracks from Saratoga Springs to Corinth are owned by the Town of Corinth.

But Iowa-Pacific was responsible for all track maintenance.

Last year, the firm began storing out-of-service rail cars, owned by other companies, in the Adirondacks on a stretch of line from North Creek to Tahawus. Iowa-Pacific said it needed the revenue generated by rail car storage to pay for track maintenance, and offset losses incurred by the scenic Saratoga & North Creek Railway.

But the plan was met by strong opposition from environmentalists who said rail car storage was tantamount to creating a linear junk yard in the Adirondack Forest Preserve.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo threatened to file suit if cars weren’t removed.

Owners of the rail cars began removing them a few months ago, and the last 22 cars were removed in late July, the group Protect the Adirondacks says.

The environmental group would like to see the entire 60-mile corridor from Saratoga to North Creek converted to a multi-use recreational trail.

However, local economic development officials have cited the railroad from Saratoga to Corinth as a major asset, which could help lead to redevelopment of the former International Paper Company site in Corinth.

A preliminary internal study indicates that a recreation trail in Warren County alone would cost about $30 million. This includes the cost of rail and tie removal, plus trail construction, Simpson said.

An existing Warren County Bikeway from Glens Falls to Lake George costs about $100,000 per year to maintain, he said.

Some parts of the track from Corinth to North Creek are quite remote with little road access, which could pose a challenge for trail maintenance, he said.