Railroad Forums 

  • Marathon Maple Festival Shuttle Trains News Update

  • Discussion related to New York, Susquehanna & Western operations past and present. Also includes some discussion related to Deleware Otsego owned and operated shortlines. Official web site can be found here: NYSW.COM.
Discussion related to New York, Susquehanna & Western operations past and present. Also includes some discussion related to Deleware Otsego owned and operated shortlines. Official web site can be found here: NYSW.COM.

Moderators: GOLDEN-ARM, NJ Vike

 #767711  by kemay59
 
After over 25 years of operation, the end of the line has arrived for the Central New York Maple Festival shuttle trains between Cortland and Marathon. Lyn Ryan, a member of the Maple Festival organizing committee, said in an e-mail dated February 5 that the New York, Susquehanna, and Western Railway has notified the committee that they will not be able to run trains for the 2010 event on April 10 and 11 due to there being no grant money available. A spokesperson for the NYS&W Railway stated publicly in September 2008 that they have been losing money on the trains over the years and cannot continue operations without a subsidy. Funds for operating subsidies will not be available because of New York State's poor financial condition.

According to information provided by the SUNY Cortland Public Relations Office, the New York, Susquehanna, and Western Railway received a subsidy of $22,000 to operate the 2009 Maple Festival shuttle trains. The money came from a $50,000 state grant obtained by New York State Senator Thomas Libous of Binghamton for the second year of a tourist train study conducted by the SUNY Cortland Department of Recreation, Parks, and Leisure Studies. The NYS&W Railway received $37,815 out of another $50,000 state grant for operational aid for the 2008 Maple Festival shuttle trains.

According to the SUNY Cortland tourist train studies, the 2008 shuttle trains carried 3,698 passengers in two days and the 2009 shuttle trains carried 3,230 passengers in two days. The ridership was the highest in recent history. The studies stated that the trains showed a profit of $0 in 2008 and a loss of $3,765.21 in 2009. (See 2008 Study page 23 and 2009 Study pages 36-37 for Ridership/Financial Data)

There has been speculation over the past two years that the Maple Festival shuttle trains were going to be discontinued with the listing of all NYS&W Railway passenger train equipment for sale on the D. F. Barnhardt and Associates website in March 2008. While much of the equipment has been sold since 2008, the four ex-Metra bi-level coaches used on the shuttle trains are still listed for sale and are currently stored at the defunct Ontrack Carousel Center station in Syracuse. The railroad obtained a generator-equipped passenger car from the Adirondack Scenic Railroad for the 2009 festival weekend to provide heat and lights for the four coaches because NYS&W Power Car 501 was purchased by the Kentucky Railway Museum in August 2008.

For more detailed information, visit the following websites:

Central New York Maple Festival – http://www.maplefest.org

SUNY Cortland 2008 and 2009 Tourist Train Studies – http://www.cortland.edu/rec/projects.html

Senator Tom Libous (2007 and 2008 Member Items) – http://www.tomlibous.govoffice.com

D. F. Barnhardt & Associates – http://www.trains-trams-trolleys.com/home/NYSW/nysw.htm
 #767954  by lvrr325
 
I'd want an accounting of NYS&W's math. It cost $12,000 more to break even in 2008 than it cost to lose $4000 in 2009 even with high ridership and lower fuel costs? Do the costs of operation meet/exceed both grant money and ticket revenue, or does someone else get the proceeds from the ticket sales? Do 2009's costs include whatever expenses were entailed in getting the power car?