The state-owned land that the railroad operates on is designated as a travel corridor, defined by the state as a highway or a railroad corridor. The Adirondack Park Agency’s State Land Committee is scheduled to debate a proposal that would expand the definition of rail corridor to include a rail trail, instead of the current definition of a railroad only. Both would be allowed under the amended definition.
At issue are 34 miles of rail that run from Tupper Lake to Lake Placid, N.Y.
New York state had proposed in 2016 to remove the tracks to create a rail trail. The Adirondack Scenic Railroad, which operates the entire Remsen-Lake Placid line on a permit from the state, sued the state. Judge Robert Main Jr. ruled in 2017 against the state, in part because of the rail corridor definition contained in the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan, which governs use of the park.
The proposed new definition of rail corridor reads “A railroad corridor is the fee, easement, or right-of-way lands that include the Remsen-Lake Placid railbed or any future acquisition that may be considered for classification as a travel corridor, existing (1) for the operation of rail cars, and/or (2) to serve as a rail trail.” The full proposal is posted on the agency website.
If the committee approves the proposal, the full agency will consider it on Friday.
Michael Moss: Thank you for your correct analysis of the difference between the Western Maryland between Cumberland and Frostburg (which I have walked) and the route of the Adirondack Rail Corridor where the governing plan clearly states that a continuous parallel trail is not possible.
The rails to trails bunch has taken a good idea and twisted into something it wasn’t meant to be. This is just one more step in a mostly adversarial relationship between rail and trail advocates.
There are spots on the Adirondack route thru wetlands where the ROW is on fill only wide enough for the rails or a trail, but not both. Wasn’t the WM grade originally double track?
I cannot help but wonder,after reading about this discussion for (seems like forever), if any of the persons involved have ever visited the Western M D tourist railroad? The whole distance from Cumberland to Frostburg is both a rail right of way and a bike trail side by side. I have ridden the train from Cumberland to Frostburg (with my bike in a bike storage car) several times. Then rode my bike downhill from Frostburg to Cumberland. Patronage for this adventure is always is robust ! Sure seems like a win/win for everyone! A similar train/bike situation exists on the Cuyahoga Valley in Ohio.