OnTrack was a suburban rail line that operated in Syracuse, New York, from 1994 to 2008. The line ran from the Carousel Center (today's Destiny USA) on the city's north side via Armory Square and Syracuse University to Colvin Street, with summer weekend service south to Jamesville, mainly using 1950s-era diesel railcars. The line was the result of a public-private partnership between the state of New York, Onondaga County and the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway (NYSW), a Class II regional freight carrier. The NYSW received tax breaks and grants in exchange for operating passenger service on the Syracuse line. Although OnTrack was initially successful, ridership declined and was ultimately discontinued due to inadequate rush hour service, poor publicity and failure to connect to Syracuse's Amtrak and intercity bus routes. In recent years, there have been proposals to complete the line and restart passenger service, potentially as a light rail system. History Starting in the late 19th century, an extensive series of electric interurban railways served the Syracuse region, but by the 1930s local rail service ceased, and was replaced by buses and automobiles. In the 1990s, Syracuse University graduate Robert Colucci proposed converting for passenger service a roughly segment of the old Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad's Syracuse–Binghamton line between Carousel Center (now Destiny USA) in the north and Jamesville in the south. At the time, the little-used right of way was owned by Conrail which considered it a financial burden, so it was sold for $1 to the Onondaga County Industrial Development Agency (IDA). The Onondaga IDA leased the track to the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway (NYSW) at a bargain rate, and allowed the NYSW to use it for freight service on the condition that a passenger rail service be run at least 250 days per year with 1,250 round trips. In addition, the NYSW received a $400,000 tax break from the state of New York in order to cover operating costs. Since the rail infrastructure was already in place, the state of New York provided a $4.5 million grant to purchase rolling stock (four 1950 Budd Rail Diesel Cars) and construct passenger stations along the former freight line. OnTrack was incorporated on September 24, 1994 and the primary service (known as the "City Express") began in October between Syracuse University and Carousel Center, ten times a day and seven days a week. OnTrack initially