Choo! Choo! Chuck-a, chuck-a, Chuck-a. Choo! Choo!

The following is a commentary on rail service for the Northeastern United States, as Upstate New York's economy lags behind not only New York City but, much of the rest of the country. In visiting the Upstate region one can actually see a tale of two cities. It is, in truth, MORE than two cities we're talking about here. Much of the Upstate region is economically depressed when compared to the Wall Street driven economy of New York city.

Much like the South Bronx of the early 1970's, downtown sections in Upstate cities such as Utica, Binghamton, Schenectady, Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo have boarded-up businesses and former grand residences. Indeed, much of the manufacturing base that drove the upstate economy has shrunk in recent years. Even bedrock communities that are dominated by firms such as Kodak, in Rochester, and Corning Glass, in Corning, have experienced decline in both demand and available workforce.

New York, it should be noted, has lost two Congressional seats from population loss this decade. Two cities, Buffalo and Syracuse, in particular, were the two municipalities hit hardest by deep population losses. A key reason, cite experts, elected officials and urban specialists, many of the state's youth flee the upstate region for jobs and business opportunities elsewhere. A New York Daily News editorial recently cited the upstate region's economic state as "dire." In another editorial some years earlier, The News, describing one political battle between upstate and downstate elected officials over school funding, said that "Upstate New York would be compared to "Mississippi with snow," if not for the tax contributions of New York City residents to the state's coffers.

True or not, both the city and the upstate region are joined at the hip economically and, mutually benefit when the economy in both regions have growth. New Yorkers and those in the region are dependent on that success, from the exchange of technology, commerce, tourism, education and, yes, the food we eat.

As writer Ben Gottfried argues, re-establishing some discontinued rail lines makes sense on several fronts. From moving passengers east to west in the nation's northern cities, to moving technology and other commerce smoothly and rapidly when compared to much of the nation's roads. This writer is an avid supporter of better rail service in New York and, across the United States. Gottfried will tell you more about what is happening in New York from a recently published op-ed piece.


Eric K. Williams, Executive Director
International Access Networks /I-A-N, Inc.