I have read and listened to the conversations that have swirled in the media for the past four years concerning whether the railroad right of way should be converted to a trail. I write to share a concern that perhaps may be shared by others who live here or visit.

At various points in time, the reports on North Country Public Radio have reached me while traveling the limited highway network in the Adirondack region. Listening to those, I’ve often wondered if fellow residents and visitors have the same feeling that the transportation network in the Adirondacks is barely adequate to serve present needs. The bottleneck in the Cascade Lake area, the challenging drive at all times of the year from anywhere to the Tri-Lakes is certainly not a transportation engineer’s dream.

I cannot recall an article or a letter to the editor that has pointed out the shortcomings of our transportation system. As residents, the options for getting to destinations outside the Park are limited. It really matters not where you want to go; getting there is just not convenient. The highways we have are well taken care of, given the extremes of weather we experience; the carrying capacity is what I am talking about.

Has anyone else experienced the slow going during the peak visitor season behind a camping trailer? Or limited bus services? Or even more limited air options? The one most cost-effective improvement in transportation to get to and from the Tri-Lakes – upgrade the existing historic railroad to commercial passenger standards.

Looking at the important new manufacturing sites being built on the periphery of the Adirondacks in the Utica area and at the GlobalFoundries site just outside of Albany, with the thousands of new young families, it just makes a lot of sense for this generation that is owning fewer cars to be able to get into the Adirondacks by passenger rail. A single Adirondack railroad from Utica can carry upwards of 400 passengers a trip. At operating speeds of 45 mph, equal to what used to be the timetable schedules in the heyday of the line, getting to the heart of the Tri-Lakes would take a little more than three hours with scheduled stops, a worry-free trip.

Consider for a moment the lodging situation in the community of Saranac Lake. A train with 400 passengers, primary purpose overnight visitors, would fill the hotel rooms in the renovated Hotel Saranac, the proposed Lake Flower resort, Gauthier’s, the Best Western and Lake Clear Lodge; this represents lots of business for area restaurants and other community attractions as well. The impact of such numbers on the lodging and restaurant capacity in Lake Placid would be beneficial, too. Efficient passenger trains, combined with package tours that are a growing segment in the tourism industry, would have a very positive impact on the Tri-Lakes economy.

The Tri-Lakes communities today benefit from the intersection of three major transportation corridors. In Saranac Lake, the Olympic Scenic Byway, the Northern Forest Canoe Trail and the railroad run through the heart of the community. In Tupper Lake, the Olympic Scenic Byway, the Adirondack Scenic Byway, the Raquette River Blueway and the railroad would serve that community. The combination of roads, rivers and rail all contribute to the economic activity and well-being of residents and visitors alike. A properly functioning passenger rail service would augment and support use of the other amenities in both communities, as well as all the outdoor attractions in the region. A network of trails, woven into the mix of the rails, roads and rivers, can provide the synergy of a complete system that New Yorkers would be proud of.

It has been too long since passenger rail service was available to residents and visitors of the Tri-Lakes. Much has changed in railroading, for the better. Millennials and Gen Y’ers are using more public transportation, including passenger rail, rather than opting for the increasing expense of owning a car. In the longer-term consideration of reducing the carbon footprint on our planet, it makes a lot of sense to use passenger rail. The state of Vermont, about the same physical size as the Adirondack Park with about the same highway challenges, has been investing millions to improve passenger rail services to offer residents and visitors a more complete transportation system – and it is working.

It is time for New York state to invest in rail in the Adirondacks to support the growth of tourism along the travel corridor all the way into the heart of the Tri-Lakes. It will make it possible for more people of all ages and abilities to come and enjoy the scenery and the paddling, biking and hiking opportunities that already exist.

It makes little sense for our governor to be promoting tourism and economic development in the Adirondacks while his team seems to be all in for ripping up the rails to the heart of the Tri-Lakes. What is the gov going to tell the Hotel Saranac owner or the owners of the new hotel development on Lake Flower Avenue? That he is doing away with the one form of transport that would bring many more visitors here who don’t own cars? That is not in the interest of any of us who live here!

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Robert Hest lives in Mountain View.