The DCTC held a virtual meeting Thursday to update the public on its study and get input for the “Beacon-Hopewell Rail Trail,” which would run on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Beacon Line. The MTA officially abandoned a larger, 41-mile segment of the Beacon Line in 2024, opening it up to the possibility of a trail.
Mark Debald, Transportation Program Administrator for the DCTC, says the Beacon Line offers a range of scenery for would-be visitors.
“It’s a very diverse corridor," he explains. "It touches on kind of urban, high-density neighborhoods, some of your more suburban areas, but then also some more quiet stretches along the corridor, culminating in this kind of trifecta of trail potential here in Hopewell Junction.”
The “Beacon-Hopewell Rail Trail” would start near the Beacon Metro-North Station and run east through Fishkill and East Fishkill to the hamlet of Hopewell Junction, where it would connect with the Dutchess Rail Trail and the Empire State Trail. This means hikers and bikers from New York City could have a way to access these trail sections off the Metro-North in Beacon. The DCTC also imagines it could connect with Beacon’s Riverfront Trail and the future Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail, a proposed 7.5-mile linear park connecting Beacon to Cold Spring along the river.
“Imagines” is the key word, because talks are in the very early stages. The feasibility study simply collects input and identifies what the trail would need to work: there’s no construction timeline, price tag or funding source at this time.
Chris Hanna, a project manager with the Ulster County engineering firm Barton & Loguidice, says they’ve been examining conditions around the Beacon Line.
“The ballast stone, that existing footprint of the railroad corridor, approximately 75 percent of that is in good or excellent condition right now, for purposes of a trail conversion," he says.
The study has identified seven major intersections, six bridges, and three overpass structures along the corridor. Hanna expects the bridges would only need minor repairs to accommodate a rail trail. The largest intersection, with Route 9 in the village of Fishkill, would likely require the trail to re-route or build a pedestrian bridge over the six-lane crossing. A pedestrian underpass would be less desirable, due to potential flooding.
Environmentally, Hanna says about five miles of the corridor faces a slight flood risk, and there are a few animal species planners should keep in mind, including the bog turtle and the monarch butterfly. But overall, he expects any environmental risks to be low.
“That would have to be really looked at more in design, and if there was federal funding that would be looked at in depth," he adds. "But just given the general characteristics of the corridor being pretty wide, pretty devoid of any trees or wet areas or anything like that, the impact really should be minimal.”
The DCTC took written questions throughout the meeting, many of which touched on construction dates, funding and privacy concerns. Last year, landowners along the larger 41-mile abandoned section of the Beacon Line filed a lawsuit claiming they should be compensated for its conversion to public use.
Debald says the DCTC is putting together multiple drafts of its feasibility study before a final draft expected this summer.
“We’re gonna come back to everyone for a second virtual informational meeting to review our recommendations and get to some of those cost and funding questions, which are important," says Debald.
If you’re wondering whether the Beacon Line is free to hike in the meantime, don’t lace up your sneakers just yet: the DCTC says it is still privately owned by the MTA, and any hiking along the line can be considered trespassing.
