Kingston is a city of trains. Catskill Mountain Railroad ferries tourists and locals on whimsical, family-friendly, recreational rides. The objectively less charming CSX, a critical supply chain transporter, fills the city air with the sound of train horns at all hours of the day and night, frequently stopping traffic at crossings, occasionally colliding with vehicles and people. Neither offers any sort of passenger transport for Kingstonians. For that, one needs to head to the Metro-North station in Poughkeepsie or Rhinecliff’s Amtrack station. But a proposal is advancing to bring such a service to Kingston and other Hudson Valley municipalities.
Kingston’s Public Safety/General Government Committee voted this week to advance the All Aboard Hudson Valley West Shore Passenger Rail Resolution to the full Common Council, which is expected to take up the measure June 2. The resolution calls for a new feasibility study and modern evaluation of restoring passenger rail service to the CSX West Shore corridor, which once connected Kingston to New York City before passenger service to Kingston ended in 1958.
The resolution has now been adopted more than a dozen times across the region, including by the Orange and Rockland County Legislatures and by municipalities in Orange, Rockland, and Westchester Counties. All Aboard Hudson Valley, the advocacy group behind the effort, is also scheduled to present the concept to the Ulster County Legislature next week. The group argues that restoring service along the existing freight corridor would address longstanding transportation gaps on the west side of the Hudson River.
Supporters say passenger rail on the West Shore line would improve access to jobs, healthcare, education, and tourism, while reducing highway congestion and car dependency. The effort has drawn backing from Mayor Steve Noble and members of the Common Council. If the full council approves the resolution on June 2, Kingston would join a growing list of Hudson Valley communities formally calling on the state to study the corridor’s potential.
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