An Analysis of OnTrack Passenger Rail

Former F.O.C.U.S. Greater Syracuse Intern Eric Ennis completed this extensive report on OnTrack, Syracuse's failed rail system, for his senior thesis.

It's a tremendous read and very interesting if you're at all into the idea of Syracuse having a light rail system one day.

Hat tip to F.O.C.U.S. Greater Syracuse for the link.

Friday Follow

If you do one thing today, you should probably start following Future Syracuse Committee on tumblr (and on twitter as well @futuresyracuse), which is a wonderfully poignant look at remembering the group of political, business, and community leaders that originally fought against railroad elevation in Syracuse during the early part of the 20th century.

It's striking to see the resemblances with what these leaders were thinking at the time to the relationship that we have now between the city and its elevated highways (specifically the future of I-81).

"Elevation within the city would encumber Syracuse with the poorest and worst planned railroad plant of all the cities in this state, and one of the worst in the country. Our city would then have these barriers, these embankments, north, south, east and west. What use of any more city planning after such a series of walls are built? All we need is a moat alongside to complete our medievalism. This is the era of city planning. For their own comfort, and because of the desire to favorably impress strangers, people of various communities strive to make their cities more beautiful. Any factor which militates against this is sure to be tabooed by the forward looking element in every community." - Louis Will (former mayor of Syracuse), Syracuse Journal, March 14, 1923

New York Central Railroad Station - Burnet Ave

Love Letter to Syracuse

Love Letter to Syracuse from Maarten Jacobs on Vimeo.