Remsnyder: “… fanastic
properties and events …”
KINGSTON – Rail Explorers, the unique pedal-train, should be coming
to Ulster County by next summer. Company officials briefed the Ulster
County Lodging Coalition meeting in Kingston on Wednesday.
The Rail Explorer tourist attraction was announced earlier this year by County Executive Michael Hein and approved as part of the tourist rail and walkway project.
The company already has a location in Saranac Lake and is hoping their Catskills location, to be located at the Phoenicia train station and running to Boiceville, will be up and running by June 2017.
Rail Explorers Managing Director Alex Catchpoole said they set out to do two things.
“The railbacks provide access to the corridor for people of all shapes and sizes, and all abilities, and even for people with disabilities. So, in the first part, you’ve got people are able to experience this section of the Catskill park that, previously, was unable to be seen unless you were a dedicated hiker, or were experiencing it on the train,” said Catchpoole. “The other part of it is to involve the community in ways to use the railbacks to their advantage.”
In Saranac Lake, Rail Explorers’ annual, seasonal direct economic
impact is estimated to be $8 million, and they have found that 65 percent
of people vacationing in the Adirondack region cited their attraction
as the primary reason for their visit.
Ulster Tourism Richard Remsnyder said the county is now only second to Westchester in Hudson Valley tourism revenue.
“The thing is, we have so many fantastic properties and events and fairs and festivals that people like to come to, and we’re 90 minutes from midtown Manhattan; so, it’s a very short trip and people are coming up in droves and we hope it continues,” Remsnyder said.
As the fall foliage season is passing its peak, the county is hoping for one last injection of tourism dollars before it ends.
