Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad running equipment-only trains without passengers
The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad is running equipment-only trains without passengers between Peninsula and Akron, a sign that passenger trains will return to the rails sooner than originally anticipated after the railroad suspended all operations earlier this month.
The railroad said in a news release that an independent engineering firm reevaluated the erosion area that has been causing safety concerns and modifying operations since last year. Ongoing soil monitoring in recent weeks identified increasing erosion along the 26-mile scenic and educational railway in Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
According to the railroad, results from the inspection by geotechnical specialists deemed the tracks safe for equipment-only, no passenger crossings, and a train made up of 12 rail cars and three locomotives was safely moved from the Fitzwater Maintenance Yard in Independence to Peninsula.
“We are beyond excited! Moving the train allows us to continue exploring the logistics of operating excursions between Peninsula and Akron. This is a huge step forward!” Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad President and CEO Joe Mazur said in a statement. “The staff, volunteers and CVNP have been incredibly patient and helpful. We’re so thankful for everyone’s support.”
The railroad said that the coordination of running operations from Peninsula to Akron will be elaborate and expensive, including establishing a temporary maintenance shop to service the train, storing event supplies and procuring utilities necessary for passenger travel.
The railroad said ticket prices won't increase to make up for those costs, but donations are appreciated (cvsr.org/annual-fund), as the railroad has lost money over the past four years due to modifying and canceling excursions due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the riverbank erosion.
“Details about our return to operations are evolving," Mazur said. “Now that the most critical component of the plan is complete, we can move forward with determining dates, times, schedules, and passenger experiences. We’ll be sure to keep the public posted on our website and social media platforms.”
No Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad:Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad temporarily suspends all operations
Erosion affects CVSR operations
The railroad has been plagued by erosion issues along the tracks and the Cuyahoga River in CVNP over the past year.
The railroad announced in January that after four months of abbreviated operations due to land erosion near the tracks, the railroad was back in operation.
The railroad had offered modified programming operating on a limited section of track since October after engineers doing routine monitoring of the tracks found instability at a site 4 miles south of the Fitzwater Maintenance Yard. They decided the safest option was to suspend train operations beyond that point to allow for further testing and analysis.
National Park Service officials had hoped the installation of an advanced stability monitoring system would allow regular train service to safely resume March 3. But analysis of data pulled from the monitoring system led to the decision to stop use of the tracks, which were originally built in 1880 for the Valley Railway, entirely until repairs are made, they said.
The National Park Service owns and preserves the 26 miles of tracks in CVNP, and the railroad owns and maintains the locomotive and passenger fleet.
Suspended programming includes the Cleveland Dinner & Events Train and the National Park Scenic Excursion. All ticket purchases were automatically refunded.
The railroad announced last month that Steam In The Valley has been postponed until 2024 “due to potentially changing conditions and the inability to reschedule other events.”
The erosion caused the railroad’s popular North Pole Adventure holiday rides to be rerouted, with all trips leaving from Rockside Station.
The railroad in October canceled the National Park Scenic, Fall Flyer, Bike Aboard, Hale Farm, Explorer Program and Family Fun Loop departures through early November as engineers and contractors working with the National Park Service assessed and repaired erosion issues near tracks along the Cuyahoga River, with work including installing ground monitors and taking measurements.
CVNP in October received about $14 million through the Great American Outdoors Act for river stabilization work along the river, near the railroad tracks and the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail.
The work, expected to continue through early 2025, will stabilize the riverbank at sites along the river where erosion threatens the Towpath and the tracks.
The park last year conducted an emergency riverbank stabilization due to "significant erosion" from the river at another site in the park, in Brecksville near the Columbia Run picnic area.
At the time, the railroad had canceled all runs on its National Park Scenic route due to the erosion near the tracks.
The railroad, which celebrated its 50th anniversary this year, returned to its normal train schedule in July, with the National Park Scenic returning to running five days a week, with trips departing from the railroad’s three main boarding stations, including Akron Northside, Peninsula and Independence. The Explorer also returned in July.
Contact Beacon Journal reporter Emily Mills at emills@thebeaconjournal.com and on Twitter @EmilyMills818.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad running trains without passengers
