Southern Tier - Transportation

Transportation

The Southern Tier Expressway - Interstate 86 and New York State Route 17 - serves the Southern Tier. The highway is the region's major corridor and connects to U.S. Route 219 in Salamanca, Interstate 390 in Bath, U.S. Route 15 (Future I-99) in Corning, and Interstates 81 and 88 in Binghamton.

The Greater Binghamton Airport has flights to Detroit, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC. Elmira-Corning Regional Airport also serves the area with flights to Philadelphia, Detroit, and other Northeastern hubs. Bus service is provided along the entire I-86/NY 17 corridor by Coach USA's Shortline/Erie services from Jamestown to New York City, and Trailways connects the Southern Tier with Buffalo, Dubois (at the western end in Salamanca), Sunbury/Lock Haven (at Elmira), and Syracuse, Albany and Harrisburg (at Binghamton).

Amtrak currently does not serve the area. Proposals for high-speed rail in New York have included a route from Binghamton to New York City through Scranton, Pennsylvania, a route that could at least partially be upgraded for high-speed rail. As of 2011, the highest priority for high-speed rail projects in New York is in the Empire Corridor, of which no part crosses the Southern Tier. The hilly terrain of the Southern Tier's I-86 corridor is not ideal for high-speed rail service, especially compared to the relatively flat and straight land in the Empire Corridor.

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