OnTrack was a suburban rail line that operated in Syracuse, New York, from 1994 to 2008. The line ran from the Carousel Center (today's Destiny USA) on the city's north side via Armory Square and Syracuse University to Colvin Street, with summer weekend service south to Jamesville, mainly using 1950s-era diesel railcars.

The line was the result of a public-private partnership between the state of New York, Onondaga County and the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway (NYSW), a Class II regional freight carrier. In the 1990s, Syracuse University graduate Robert Colucci proposed converting for passenger service a roughly segment of the former Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Syracuse–Binghamton mainline

thumb|left|The disused Carousel Center (Destiny USA) station in 2021

Since the rail infrastructure was already in place, the state of New York provided a $4.5 million grant to purchase rolling stock (four Ex-New Haven Budd Rail Diesel Cars) and construct passenger stations along the former freight line. The NYSW also hosted their own fundraising excursion behind steam locomotive No. 142 in May 1993 for a $1.2 million track rehabilitation, which would boost the line's speed restriction. OnTrack was incorporated on September 24, 1994 and the primary service (known as the City Express) began in October between Syracuse University and Carousel Center, ten times a day and seven days a week. The NYSW hosted another excursion behind No. 142 to promote OnTrack. OnTrack initially exceeded expectations, carrying 45,757 passengers in its first three months of service. However, the line never turned a profit, and it relied on state subsidies and volunteers to keep it running. However, the schedule was not optimized for commuter usage. Rather, the train was meant to shuttle visitors to popular destinations such as downtown museums and restaurants, weekend excursion trips to Jamesville Beach Park, the Santa Train, and the Orange Express special service for Carrier Dome events. This would require the construction of a new bridge over Park Street (State Route 370), so that local trains would not interfere with operations on the CSX (former New York Central) main line. Congressman Jim Walsh approved a $3 million grant for the project. However, CSX objected due to concerns that construction might destabilize the adjacent freight rail bridge across Park Avenue. The line continues to be used, infrequently, by freight trains.

Route

thumb|right|Map of OnTrack service, showing the unfinished extension to Walsh Transportation Center. [[Amtrak service shown in gray.]]

The OnTrack route starts at Destiny USA in the north, and runs along the south shore of Onondaga Lake and under I-690 before turning southeast through the Westside neighborhoods of Syracuse, roughly paralleling Erie Boulevard. It passes directly through downtown Syracuse near Armory Square, turning south along Onondaga Creek, then through the Southside and under I-81 where it skirts the west side of the Syracuse University campus and Oakwood Cemetery to Colvin Street. The line then turns east through rolling countryside along I-481, leaving the city of Syracuse, and then south again towards Jamesville and along the western shore of Jamesville Reservoir to Jamesville Beach Park. Within Syracuse, the line passes through a mix of residential, commercial, retail and light industrial areas; south of Brighton Avenue and the city limits it traverses mostly undeveloped rural land. Only four of the stations (Carousel Center, Armory Square, Syracuse University and the unfinished station at Alliance Bank Stadium) had covered platforms. The regular fare was $1.50, and the fare for the Orange Express was $4 (from Armory Square) or $5 (from Carousel Center).

List of stations

{|class="wikitable" border="1"

!Name

!Miles (km) from RTC

!Type

!Description

!Photo

!Current owners

|-

|bgcolor="#F5F5DC"|Central New York Regional Market

|bgcolor="#F5F5DC"|n/a

|bgcolor="#F5F5DC"|n/a

|bgcolor="#F5F5DC"|Regional farmer's market. Planned, but never built.

|

|n/a

|-

|bgcolor="#F5F5DC"|Alliance Bank Stadium (NBT Bank Stadium)

|bgcolor="#F5F5DC"|0.46<br>(0.74)

|bgcolor="#F5F5DC"|Covered platform

|bgcolor="#F5F5DC"|Home of the Syracuse Chiefs minor league baseball team. Built but never opened. Demolished in 2022.

|thumb|Alliance Bank (now NBT) Stadium Station in 2017

|Station demolished, property owned by NBT Bank

|-

|bgcolor="#F5F5DC"|William F. Walsh Regional Transportation Center

|bgcolor="#F5F5DC"|0.00

|bgcolor="#F5F5DC"|Covered platform

|bgcolor="#F5F5DC"|Connections to Amtrak, Greyhound, Trailways and local Centro buses. A dedicated, fully covered platform and link to the transportation center was completed, but never connected to the rest of the system.

|thumb|right|A section of incomplete track at the [[William F. Walsh Regional Transportation Center, which had been built for OnTrack trains but never connected to the line]]

|Intermodal Transportation Center, Inc, a subsidiary of Centro

|-

|Carousel Center (Destiny USA)

|0.59<br>(0.95)

|Covered platform

|New York's largest shopping mall.

|thumb|Destiny USA Ontrack Station in 2018

|Pyramid Group, owners of Destiny USA

|-

|600 Erie Place

|3.30<br>(5.31)

|Flag stop, no platform

|For the Westside neighborhood.

|thumb|600 Erie Place Flag Stop Station in 2016

|

|-

|Armory Square - Downtown Syracuse

|3.84<br>(6.18)

|Covered platform

|Elevated station on Armory Square, a major nightlife area with many small shops and restaurants, and close to downtown jobs.

|thumb|Two trains servicing the armory square station, an express, and an orange

|Platform is still owned by NYSW; the building is owned by a private company and was once the DL&W Depot.

|-

|Syracuse University - Carrier Dome

|5.01<br>(8.07)

|Covered platform

|Serving the University Hill neighborhood, about a quarter-mile (0.4 km) from Carrier Dome. Final destination for the Orange Express.

|thumb|right|Syracuse University - Carrier Dome station in 2013

|NYSW

|-

|Colvin Street

|5.66<br>(9.11)

|Open platform

|For the Brighton and Outer Comstock neighborhoods. City Express trains only served this stop if called. The metal to build the bridge was scrapped and sold in 2013, long after the rail lines' demise.

Future

Local authorities have discussed the possibility of renewed OnTrack service, perhaps as a light rail system. Eric Ennis, an economic development specialist for the city of Syracuse, has cited new development in the University Hill neighborhood, a residential boom in downtown, and the expansion of Destiny USA as potential sources of increased ridership.

In June of 2023, the tax break for NYSW ended. Onondaga County sent NYSW a bill of $290,000. There is a pending legal battle about the assessment of the property.

See also

  • Railroads in Syracuse, New York
  • Syracuse and Binghamton Railroad
  • Central New York Regional Transportation Authority

References

Works cited

  • Syracuse in Focus OnTrack photo gallery
  • OnTrack's 10th anniversary photo gallery
  • Article containing a short video clip of OnTrack
  • Ontrack schedule for City Express
  • NSWR roster