Warren Co. leaders mull study of new railway corridor uses

QUEENSBURY | The Warren County Planning Department has proposed that the county apply for a state grant to fund a study of potential future uses of the county railway corridor. County Planner Ethan Gaddy announced the proposal at the July 22 meeting of the county's Economic Growth & Development Committee. Now used for rail-bike tours of varying lengths and destinations, the railway could either be converted to a rail-trail, or such a venue could perhaps be developed within the rail corridor, according to rail-trail advocates who have lobbied for the conversion for more than two decades. Aug. 1, county Board of Supervisors Chairman Kevin Geraghty said the idea of establishing a rail-trail through the county — and perhaps north to the abandoned mining hamlet of Tahawus — had considerable merit, citing the substantial success of the Adirondack Rail Trail that now stretches 25 miles through Essex and Franklin counties, between the villages of Lake Placid and Saranac Lake and beyond. This last week, Geraghty said he has heard from several area officials that the Adirondack Rail Trail is very popular and has been a boon for businesses along its route, through or beside the hamlets and waterways, including Ray Brook, Saranac Lake, and Lake Clear. A nine-mile stretch of the Adirondack Rail Trail, between Floodwood Road and the village of Tupper Lake, remains to be completed. By this fall, the entire 34-mile path is expected to be complete. The rail trail accommodates bicycling, walking, running — and in winter, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling. "This rail-trail is doing very, very well — I've heard that people are really loving it — its use is amazing," Geraghty said. "I think we have to examine our railway corridor right-of-ways and see what we can do," he continued, cautioning that the Revolution Rail rail-bike enterprise that conducts eight or so rail tours on the existing railroad tracks — needs to be "taken into consideration" because they draw thousands of people annually to Warren County. Gaddy said that in addition to retaining the railway's existing use by Revolution Rail and the proposed development of a rail-trail, other options include transferring ownership of the rail corridor to the state or the Open Space Institute. Considerations to be examined in the study include state and federal regulations concerning rail lines and their abandonment, conversion, use, and construction., Gaddy said, noting that the supervisors should weigh the options' potential impact to the county and its residents over the next decade or longer. County Administrator John Taflan said that the county spent $673,000 in 2024 to repair the rail line — rebuilding sections of track and the rail bed primarily due to washouts, but that expense has been partially offset by the current annual railroad lease payment of $100,000 made by Revolution Rail. Although the railroads require extensive maintenance which is costly, maintaining a rail-trail path also requires repair and periodic reconstruction. Economic Growth & Development Committee member Mike Wild noted that Revolution Rail was a major employer in North Creek, where they are based. Gaddy estimated that a study of future options for the railroad corridor would cost about $100,000, but the sum would likely be offset by a state economic development grant.

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Warren Co. leaders mull study of new railway corridor uses

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