Adirondack Railroad begins $30 million rail-line reconstruction project

UTICA, N.Y. — The Adirondack Railroad recently announced it has begun corridor reconstruction on rail lines from Snow Junction to the Tupper Lake station, a total of 84 miles of track.

Tupper Lake will serve as the northern terminal, upgrading the existing railroad station, adding a yard to restore engines and locomotives, and building a modern turnaround track for the trains. 

The entire project is estimated to cost $30 million with a completion date of November 2021, according to a news release from the Adirondack Railway Preservation Society, a Utica–based nonprofit organization that operates the Adirondack Railroad.

The Department of Transportation has awarded the rehabilitation-of-rails contract to Tartaglia Railroad Services, based in the Syracuse area. 

The primary purpose of this effort is to provide enhanced tourism and economic stimulus to the entire region. Once the reconstruction is complete, the excursion from Utica to Tupper Lake will be among the longest tourist rail lines in the country at 108 miles, per the release. The construction project underway allows travel by train to the Adirondack High Peaks region.

The new railway is part of the 2020 Remsen-Lake Placid Travel Corridor Unit Management Plan, which aims to boost tourism and outdoor recreation along the 119-mile travel corridor. That corridor follows the path of a rail line that was built in 1892 and operated until 1972. New York State bought both the line and its right-of-way in 1974, according to the Adirondack Railway Preservation Society.