Friends of the Catskill Mountain Rail Trail

The Rail Trail/Rail Compromise: County Executive Hein's Flexibility and

Leadership Countered with Criticism by CMRR and Legislators
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 10, 2014
In a spirit of compromise, County Executive Mike Hein announced a proposal
that would accommodate both a tourist rail ride between Uptown Kingston and
Hurley, and a high-quality rail trail in the County-owned Ulster & Delaware (U&D)
corridor. (http://ulstercountyny.gov/news/executive-press-releases/ulster-countyexecutive-mike-hein-announces-proposal-tourism-railroad). The resulting rail trail
would be the final link in a unified trail network from the Walkway Over the
Hudson to the Ashokan Reservoir (http://www.dailyfreeman.com/generalnews/20141208/tourist-train-service-can-continue-in-kingston-area-ulster-countyexec-hein-says).
Hein's compromise proposal sought to serve the interests of all constituents and
provide a wide range of health, recreational, and economic benefits. But it was
only grudgingly received as "a step in the right direction" but not far enough by
the Catskill Mountain Rail Road (CMRR) and the four legislators (Dave
Donaldson, Manna Jo Green, Ray Belfiglio and Mary Wawro) who support them
(http://www.dailyfreeman.com/general-news/20141209/ulster-county-rail-lineconcept-draws-rebuke-from-legislator-concern-from-train-operator).
Despite their demands for control of the entire 28-mile corridor east of Boiceville,
the CMRR has not yet demonstrated that it can sustain its current activities in
Kingston, designed to serve pay-as-you-go riders on a number of holiday
weekends each year. More importantly, neither the CMRR nor any other tourist
train operator has yet demonstrated that it has the resources to successfully
fund, construct, and manage even the two miles of track and trail envisioned in
Mike Hein's new compromise.
Retaining track in most sections of the corridor is logistically difficult and
prohibitively expensive. Engineering studies have found that the cost of
constructing a similar stretch of side-by-side rail-plus-trail in Kingston would
range from $8.0 to $10.0 million . This would be substantially more expensive
than the original Hein proposal for segmented trail and rail (estimated at $1.7 to
$2.0 million in that same stretch), which the four legislators (Donaldson, Green,
Belfiglio and Wawro) opposed. Demands by these legislators for more miles and
additional concessions reveal a lack of flexibility and fiscal responsibility that call
into question their commitment to the best interests of the citizens of Ulster
County.

Trail planners and advocates point out that trail-only sections of the corridor are
safer, more attractive, will serve far greater numbers of Ulster County citizens
and are predicted in professional economic studies to draw far greater numbers
of tourists than the most optimistic estimates for a tourist train and theme-train
events. They also observe that better corridor segments for longer train rides
have been identified west of the Ashokan Reservoir, where a railroad museum
also complements potential future train activities.
It is clear that the rejection by the CMRR and the four legislators of the current
compromise offered by County Executive Mike Hein -- before even attempting to
prove it workable -- amounts to an all-or-nothing political stance that serves no
one in Ulster County.
For further information, please call:
Kevin Smith
Kathy Nolan
845-481-0068
845-417-6489