By CHRISSY PRICHARD

Express News Staff

The debate over the future of the 120 mile Remsen-Lake Placid rail corridor is ongoing, and it seems that both the Adirondack Railroad and the Adirondack Recreational Trail Advocates (ARTA) are gaining ground.

The Adirondack Railroad is moving toward their goal of restoring the tracks along the entire line, making it viable for all types of rail service. ARTA would like to see the tracks removed and a recreational trail built in its place, and has been gathering support for the revisiting of the state’s Unit Management Plan (UMP) for the corridor.

The state owns the rail corridor, which is governed by an UMP jointly written by the NYS Department of Conservation and the NYS Department of Transportation. The UMP was written in 1995, at which time it was determined that it would be revisited every five years thereafter. Seventeen years have gone by without the state’s review of the UMP. Many feel that this is the next step in determining how the corridor will be used in the future.

The Adirondack Railroad, who leases the tracks in the warmer months to operate a tourist railroad, maintains their position that the tracks should be restored. Although the railroad does not own the tracks, they are committed to restoring and maintaining the many miles of track that are still needed to complete the line.

This summer, the Adiron-dack Railroad restored another six miles of track from Carter Station to Big Moose Station. With this new added track, trains will start running to Big Moose five days a week starting next summer. Although there is nothing specific lined up, the next portion of track that the railroad is looking to restore is between Saranac Lake and Lake Clear.

Adirondack Railway Preservation Society President Bill Branson says that although there is some opposition to the railroad, he believes that the state has no intention of removing the tracks to use the corridor for a recreational trail. “I don’t believe the rails are at risk,” said Branson.

The Adirondack Railroad has had its ridership increase steadily over recent years, bringing passengers from Utica to Old Forge for the day, as well as local trips geared toward mountain biking, paddling and sightseeing. Road Foreman Don Chadruc is working towards expanding the train’s schedule to bring more visitors into the region and giving them more opportunities to explore.

Chadruc said the layover trains from Utica were so popular this summer that they started running them three days a week. Passengers on these trips were given stickers to wear while visiting Old Forge, so shop and restaurant owners could see just how many of their patrons came to the area by train. “We’re bringing economy here,” said Chadruc. “We could be doing this for Tupper Lake and other towns along the line.”

Until now, the Adirondack Railroad has been the only railroad to show interest in using the corridor for rail service. Although they are working on restoring the tracks for their own use, they have hoped that other rail uses such as freight would benefit from a useable rail corridor.

Last week, the Adirondack Railroad announced that they have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Iowa Pacific Holdings to develop Pullman rail service from New York City to Lake Placid. Branson says that a business plan is currently being worked out and should be complete by the end of the year. Iowa Pacific owns and operates a number of tourist railroads around the country, including the Saratoga and North Creek Railroad, and also owns the Pullman Sleeping Car Co.

Iowa Pacific will not be taking over the Adirondack Railroad, rather the two organizations will be working together to help each other meet their goals. According to Branson, the Adirondack Railroad would remain the leaseholder on the rail corridor and would help administer the Pullman Car service through the area. The proposed service would bring passengers from New York City to Lake Placid in luxurious restored Pullman sleeping, dining and passenger cars, with stops at points in between, including Old Forge.

The agreement represents the Adirondack Railroad’s desire to have other rail services use the corridor. “It’s an unbelievable step forward,” said Chadruc.

According to Branson, the railroad is getting their finances “into the black” and have recently paid the last $12,000 payment on a major loan.

With support from the Adirondack North Country Association and the North Country Chamber of Commerce, the Adirondack Railroad intends to stay on track with their goal of restoring rail service of all kinds through the Adirondacks. They argue that rail service through the region will have greater economic benefits than a recreational trail will have. “We are making progress forward and are doing it well,” said Branson. “The real beneficiaries will be the people of the Adirondacks.”

In the face of the railroad’s progress, ARTA stands firm that the restoration of the rail corridor is too expensive and rail service through the region would not have the positive economic impact that a year round recreational trail would have.

The group has been garnering public support as well as support from municipal governments. They feel that demonstrating a public demand for a recreational trail will influence the political process.

Working from the ground up, the organization is first gathering the support of individuals.

They are working on a petition asking Governor Cuomo to have the rails removed in order to create a recreational trail in their place. So far, the petition has about 9,000 of the required 10,000 signatures.

At the local level, ARTA has been addressing municipal governments along the corridor for support. They are asking town and village officials to pass resolutions to request the state’s review of the UMP. So far, resolutions have been passed by the Town of Tupper Lake, the Village of Saranac Lake and the Town of Harriets-town to request revisiting the UMP. The Town of North Elba, the Village of Lake Placid and the Town of Pierce-field have gone one step further and passed resolutions requesting the tracks be removed so a recreational trail can be built.

Working their way down the corridor, ARTA plans to give presentations to the Town of Long Lake, Town of Webb, Town of Santa Clara and the Village of Tupper Lake as soon as elections are over.

Other groups, such as the New York State Snowmobil-ing Association and the Beaver River Property Owners Association are also in support of revisiting the UMP. An editorial in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise and a blog by Brian Mann of NCPR have also called for a review of the UMP.

All this support is geared toward having the state make the next move. “These local-government endorsements are the key to getting the state to review its unit management plan for the corridor—a review now 12 years overdue,” said ARTA Board Member Dick Beamish. “The review of the UMP is the essential next step in converting the 90-mile rail bed into a recreational trail through the Adirondack wilderness.”

There cannot be any change in the use of the rail corridor until the UMP is reviewed. ARTA feels that this will be done sooner than later with such high demand from the public and local officials. “Once the state government (DEC, DOT and above all Governor Cuomo) understands there is a groundswell of support for this move, and that a recreational trail would confer significant economic benefits on much of the Adirondacks, we expect them to give a top priority to examining and updating the UMP for the corridor,” said Beamish. ”Other UMP’s have languished for years, but this one needs to be resurrected without further delay, as much is riding on it.”

A key part of the review is the opportunity for public involvement. “An integral part of the process for updating UMP’s is getting public input through a series of public hearings in the Adirondacks and beyond. We are banking on these public meetings to make a strong case for converting the old rail bed into a recreational trail,”said Beamish.

The UMP lists many possible uses for the corridor, among them the use as a recreational trail. However, until the UMP is reviewed, and ultimately changed in their favor, ARTA’s hands are tied. The current UMP is available online at www.dec.ny.gov/docs/lands-_forests_pdf/remplacidump.pdf. For more information on the Adirondack Railway Preservation Society, visit www.adirondack-rr.com. To learn more about the Adirondack Recreational Trail Advocates, visit www.thearta.org.