(Oneida, NY – March 2014) Railroad historian John Taibe leaps to the present in his presentation “The Empire Corridor: High-speed Rail May Be Coming Your Way” at Oneida Public Library Saturday March 8 at 2 p.m.
Armed with the Draft Environmental Impact Statement recently released by the state Department of Transportation for public comment, Taibe will explain what “high-speed rail” really means in terms of speed (from 90 to 250+ mph), New York’s existing and alternative railroad infrastructure, projected ridership and revenue and the possible local impact.
The U.S. Congress designated New York’s Empire Corridor as one of 11 High-speed Intercity Passenger Rail Corridors in 1998. The massive Draft Environmental Impact Statement represents the “Tier 1” stage of the long-term project. It analyzes a potential state-wide high-speed corridor running from Pennsylvania Station in New York City up the east bank of the Hudson to Albany and then west via Syracuse to Buffalo and Niagara Falls.
While the N.Y.C.-Albany line would run alongside existing passenger-train tracks, the study offers two alternative routes from Albany to Buffalo. One plan would have the high-speed rail using the existing Amtrak/freight line in the Mohawk Valley. This line runs through Utica, Rome, Oneida and Syracuse. An alternative route would run south of this via Schenectady.
Taibe, a well-known speaker at the OPL and other venues, is the author of “A Ride through the Countryside: On the Syracuse and Chenango Valley Railroad,” “Remembering the New York, Ontario and Western Railway,” “Rails along the Oriskany” and other works about Central New York railroads. His most recent book is “The Oneida Railway Company: From Horsecars to Interurbans,” which is available in CD form only.
The DOT’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement will be available in hardcopy at Oneida Library. It is also online at www. dot.ny.gov/empire-corridor. The public comment period ends March 24. At issue is the alternative route preferred by the public.
For more information, stop by Oneida Library, 220 Broad St., or call 363-3050.