RailNews

Catskill Mountain Railroad closes

After years of legal battles with landlord Ulster County, New York’s Catskill Mountain Railroad ended all service on May 30, 2016. Their 25-year lease on the 38-mile railroad corridor ends May 31. Founded in 1983, CMRR began operations with a short shuttle between Phoenicia and Mt. Tremper, later extended to Cold Book station near Boiceville. In 2008, a second operation began in Kingston, which was later extended to West Hurley. The plan to connect the two operations was put on hold when flooding due to Hurricane Irene wiped out the Boiceville Trestle in 2011. While several FEMA projects were approved to repair the railroad, the county elected not to perform the work, instead favoring a plan to replace the railroad with a recreational trail. While Ulster County solicited proposals for operators, no decision has yet been made on future train operations. A proposal to temporarily extend the lease until a new operator can be chosen was voted down by the county legislature earlier in the month. CMRR has been granted a 60-day grace period by the county to vacate the property.

Two other segments of the former Ulster & Delaware Railroad remain in operation, including a segment on the Kingston waterfront operated by the Trolley Museum of New York, and the Delaware & Ulster Railroad in neighboring Delaware County.

—Passenger Train Journal

This article was posted on: May 31, 2016