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Discussion relating to the operations of MTA MetroNorth Railroad including west of Hudson operations and discussion of CtDOT sponsored rail operations such as Shore Line East and the Springfield to New Haven Hartford Line

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 #1047624  by Ridgefielder
 
It would also be technically difficult. There's a 250' difference in elevation between the airport and the Harlem Division at White Plains, 5 miles away, and the intervening terrain is hilly and broken. Kensico Reservoir/Rye Lake occupy what would be the "water level" path to the site. And since that reservoir is part of the NY City water supply, the City DEP would have a big say in any construction in the area.
 #1047648  by SecaucusJunction
 
Back on topic, if they want to build a rail line that serves the Stewart Airport only, the project is going to flop. Now if they really think that they can get 3700+ daily commuters from Newburgh, then this might be worth talking about. I really doubt they can get close to that much but I guess we'll see. That would be 3x the ridership of the next highest station on the line... even through NJ. Most people in the area probably cross the river and go to Beacon... so new service would have to beat that if they want to make progress.
 #1426544  by DutchRailnut
 
not much left in Commercial flights lots of airlines bailed.
 #1429791  by EuroStar
 
At least one new airline is giving the airport another chance : http://www.lohud.com/story/money/busine ... /98294176/. While it is still to be seen if the airport could develop into a low cost European style hub near NYC, I see relatively little harm in preserving a right of way (including existing, but unused lines close by) to it. The problem with US real estate development tends to be that by the time the density is high enough to justify trains or other public transportation there are no viable rights of way left.
 #1429799  by F-line to Dudley via Park
 
There is no preserved ROW direct to the airport, so any Stewart connector would have involved some construction of all-new ROW and the land acquisition + environmental review pain and suffering that comes with it.

The most there is to work with are a couple unencroached ex-Erie ROW options for connecting the Port Jerv south of Salisbury Mills with the Newburgh Industrial Track. Have no idea who abandoned the south end of the Newburgh Ind. when or if any of it is still landbanked (Google shows intact property lines to County Route 20 in West Cornwall where it crossed the old east-west Erie). But since it parallels I-87 you'd be able to find a nonintrusive way to span the 2-mile gap between active tracks with some combo of building by the side of the highway or grabbing the Erie line where they cross (difficulty: bad-angle junctions at both the Newburgh Ind. & Port Jerv ends). That probably is the easiest part of the job, and reestablishing a connection between the Port Jerv and River Line has lots of future utility for other misc. purposes passenger and freight so isn't a bad (though obviously very low-priority) idea on-spec.

The problem is north of there. You'd have to spur off the active portion of the Newburgh Ind. around NY 94 and bolt alongside I-87 for 2-1/4 miles of conservation land...meaning EIS pain unless you rebuild the highway on a more compact median to free up part of the northbound carriageway for the rail line. And then at NY 207 you enter private property acquisition hell on the last mile to the airport terminal.


I can't see any way that's going to be worth it for how meager Stewart projects over the next 50 years. Maybe if you had a River Line angle the Port Jerv connector, stop in downtown Newburgh, and quick shuttle bus can fill all needs. Otherwise you're looking at shuttles from Salisbury Mills or Campbell Hall and making the most out of efficient transfers to goose the airport's transit shares. Any which way they're going to have to try to leverage that for all it's worth because a direct build simply doesn't have enough there there to continue further study on anyone's 20-year plan.
 #1461983  by TDowling
 
Any news on this project? What would be the harm in instituting a shuttle from Sls Mls station to the airport, or for that matter any kind of taxi service?
 #1461991  by DutchRailnut
 
project has been Dead for years.
 #1461999  by SecaucusJunction
 
People don't like to transfer to a bus after a train ride. Now if they built some sort of monorail/tram from the station, and changed the name of the station to "Stewart Airport at Salisbury Mills", that might create a different illusion and people might buy in.

First of all, they need to actually make that airport a place where people want to go.
 #1462014  by DutchRailnut
 
maybe after all lawsuits are finished , for example the family who provided the land for Stewart has clause in contract that no name change is possible.

also since there is no direct service into NY the rail line is always a transfer no matter what. it would be a lot cheaper to run connecting service with a bus to Beacon.
 #1462042  by DutchRailnut
 
the family already went to court.
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