Press Releases

WASHINGTON — On Wednesday, April 3, Congressman Brandon Williams (NY-22) sent a letter to Governor Kathy Hochul regarding the need to expand and improve passenger rail efficiency in and around Syracuse. The full letter can be accessed here.

In anticipation of Micron building one of the largest chip manufacturing plants in North America near Syracuse, time is running out to address the three-track bottleneck for freight and passenger rail alike on the Empire Corridor. Likewise, truck hits remain too common under the two-track Park Street rail bridge, adversely impacting both rail and street traffic.

The Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) 90B Service Development Plan (SDP) notes both of these areas of concern and describes improvements that would allow for easier stops at the New York State Fairgrounds and ease freight shipments to and from the Micron plant.

“The 2021 bipartisan infrastructure bill and New York’s receipt of a Record of Decision from the FRA provide us with an opportunity to improve rail travel for residents of Upstate New York. Preparing our rail network for the increased traffic we’re anticipating should be a top priority,” said Congressman Williams.

"The Empire State Passengers Association appreciates Congressman Williams' recognition of the importance of accelerating the State's new passenger rail improvement program and commencing improvement projects in Central New York along with those planned for the Hudson Valley and Capital Region," said ESPA Executive Director Steve Strauss.

“The FRA’s recent inclusion of the Empire Corridor in the Corridor Identification and Development program and upcoming FY25 passenger rail discretionary grant opportunities provide New York with the opportunity to advance a portion of the Syracuse area projects. I urge you to make the Syracuse projects a higher priority in the State’s rail improvement plan,” the letter reads.

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