Editing OnTrack (section)

==History==
Starting in the late 19th century, an extensive series of electric interurban railways served the Syracuse region, but by the 1930s local rail service ceased, and was replaced by buses and automobiles.<ref>{{cite news |title=Once Upon a Trolley |newspaper=[[The Post-Standard]] |first=Don |last=Lawless |location=[[Syracuse, New York]] |date=1978-04-13}}</ref> In the 1990s, [[Syracuse University]] graduate Robert Colucci proposed converting for passenger service a roughly {{convert|10|mi|km|adj=on}} segment of the old [[Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad]]'s Syracuse–[[Binghamton, New York|Binghamton]] line<ref name="Rail Inventory"/> between [[Carousel Center]] (now [[Destiny USA]]) in the north and [[Jamesville, New York|Jamesville]] in the south.{{sfn|LaBerge|2009|p=2}} At the time, the little-used right of way was owned by [[Conrail]] which considered it a financial burden, so it was sold for $1 to the Onondaga County Industrial Development Agency (IDA).{{sfn|LaBerge|2009|p=3}} The Onondaga IDA leased the track to the [[New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway]] (NYSW) at a bargain rate, and allowed the NYSW to use it for freight service on the condition that a passenger rail service be run at least 250 days per year with 1,250 round trips.{{sfn|LaBerge|2009|p=3}} In addition, the NYSW received a $400,000 tax break from the state of New York in order to cover operating costs.{{sfn|LaBerge|2009|p=3}}<ref name="Metro Jacksonville">{{cite web|url=http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2008-jan-syracuse-when-rail-fails|title=Syracuse: When Rail Fails|publisher=Metro Jacksonville|date=2008-01-09|access-date=2017-07-16}}</ref>

[[File:Carousel Center OnTrack Station.jpg|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 1950 [[Budd Rail Diesel Car]]s) and construct passenger stations along the former freight line.{{sfn|LaBerge|2009|p=3}} OnTrack was incorporated on September 24, 1994<ref>{{cite web|url=http://trn.trains.com/railroads/2006/07/ontrack-city-express|title=OnTrack City Express: A passenger rail shuttle serving Syracuse, N.Y.|publisher=Trains.com|date=2006-07-03|author=Van Hattem, Matt|access-date=2017-07-16}}</ref> and the primary service (known as the "City Express")<ref name="Rail Inventory">{{cite web|url=http://www.smtcmpo.org/docs/reports/RailFinalReport2003-04.pdf|title=Central New York Rail Corridor Inventory|publisher=Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council|date=Dec 2003|access-date=2017-07-15}}</ref> began in October between Syracuse University and Carousel Center, ten times a day and seven days a week. OnTrack initially exceeded expectations, carrying 45,757 passengers in its first three months of service.{{sfn|LaBerge|2009|p=4}} However, the line never turned a profit, and relied on state subsidies and volunteers to keep it running.<ref name="Kirst"/>

With the initial success of the line, NYSW proposed expansions to the service, including a 2002 proposal for intercity service from Syracuse to [[Binghamton, New York|Binghamton]], stopping at several OnTrack stations as well as [[Cortland, New York|Cortland]].<ref name=espa2002>{{cite journal |url=http://www.trainweb.org/espa/espa802.htm |journal=The ESPA Express |title=Binghamton-Syracuse train next year? |date=Aug 2002 |publisher=Empire State Passengers Association|access-date=2017-07-16}}</ref> However, the schedule was not optimized for commuter usage. Rather, the train was meant to bring visitors to popular destinations such as downtown museums and restaurants, weekend excursion trips to [[Jamesville Beach Park]], the "Santa Train",<ref name="Kenyon">{{cite news|url=http://cnycentral.com/news/local/ontrack-a-derailed-promise-for-syracuse|title=OnTrack: a derailed promise for Syracuse|work=CNYCentral|author=Kenyon, Jim|date=2013-11-07|access-date=2017-07-16}}</ref> and the "Orange Express" special service for [[Carrier Dome]] events.<ref name="Rail Inventory"/>{{sfn|LaBerge|2009|p=4}} 

A high priority project was a connection to the [[William F. Walsh Regional Transportation Center]], where it could link directly to [[Amtrak]] and local/intercity buses, and the adjacent new Alliance Bank Stadium (now known as [[NBT Bank Stadium]]) and [[Central New York Regional Market|CNY Regional Market]], which would make the line much more useful for commuters.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.smtcmpo.org/docs/reports/2004_EJ_Final_Report.pdf|title=Environmental Justice Analysis Final Report: 2003-2004 UPWP|publisher=Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council|date=Mar 2004|access-date=2017-07-16}}</ref> This would require the construction of a new bridge over Park Street ([[New York State Route 370|State Route 370]]), so that local trains would not interfere with operations on the [[CSX Transportation|CSX]] (formerly [[New York Central Railroad|New York Central]]) main line.<ref name="Rail Inventory"/> [[Central New York Regional Transportation Authority|Centro]], Syracuse's local transportation agency, began construction on the bridge in 1998, and also prepared a platform at the Walsh Transportation Center to allow direct transfer between OnTrack and Amtrak trains.<ref name="Metro Jacksonville"/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2014/03/roth_steel_closed_owing_county_development_agency_money.html|author=Moriarty, Rick|title=Roth Steel closed owing county development agency $60,000|work=Syracuse.com|date=2014-03-18|access-date=2017-07-16}}</ref> Congressman [[James T. Walsh|Jim Walsh]] approved a $3 million grant for the project.{{sfn|LaBerge|2009|p=3–4}} However, CSX objected due to concerns that construction might destabilize the adjacent freight rail bridge across Park Avenue.<ref name="Kenyon"/> The bridge project never came to fruition, and more than 300 tons of steel budgeted for construction were scrapped.<ref name="Kenyon"/> 

By the mid-2000s, ridership had dropped greatly due to the lack of continued publicity. Services were reduced, which led to further decrease in patronage. By 2003 the train ran only four days a week.<ref name="Rail Inventory"/> It was found that NYSW had used large amounts of state grants and tax breaks to fund freight service and repair track on its other lines, rather than for OnTrack as the money had been intended.{{sfn|LaBerge|2009|p=5}} Another reason for the lack of growth in ridership was the lack of stations in residential areas, limiting the line's use by commuters.<ref name="Metro Jacksonville"/> In 2007 service had been cut to weekends only and ridership had declined to 50 passengers per day,<ref name="Metro Jacksonville"/> far short of the 500 per day required to be profitable. NYSWR chairman Walter Rich, one of OnTrack's major proponents, died in 2007, and the railroad's interest in continuing OnTrack service diminished.<ref name="Kenyon"/> Regular service was terminated indefinitely in July 2007.{{sfn|LaBerge|2009|p=5}} The Orange Express ran its last train in March 2008.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://blog.syracuse.com/news/2008/03/ontrack_ends_shuttle_between_d.html|title=OnTrack ends shuttle between downtown Syracuse and Dome|work=Syracuse.com|author=Grogan, Mike|date=2008-03-10|access-date=2017-07-17}}</ref> The line continues to be used, infrequently, by freight trains.<ref name="Kirst">{{cite news|url=http://www.syracuse.com/kirst/index.ssf/2015/06/ontrack_and_downtown_syracuse_and_eric_ennis_and_passenger_rail.html|title=Seeing an old Syracuse rail service in a new way: Is there renewed hope for the Ontrack corridor?
|work=Syracuse.com|author=Kirst, Sean|date=2015-06-02|access-date=2017-07-16}}</ref>