Brian Nearing reports in the Albany Times Union that Amtrak officials on Jan. 18 gave up on their latest efforts to fence off parts of their tracks along the Hudson River in Rensselaer, Columbia, and Dutchess counties. The railroad cited safety in calling for the fences, and now will create a "five-year corridor plan to improve safety along the Empire Service Hudson Line." As in the past, there was much local opposition to the passenger rail line's plans to block several Hudson River access points with fences. Officials in Castleton-on-Hudson, Rhinebeck, Germantown, Hyde Park, Red Hook, Stuyvesant, Clermont, Livingston, Stockport, Tivoli, and Hudson said they were against the proposal. "Now more than ever, riverfront communities rely on river access as a means of ensuring vibrant and resilient local economies," said Jeffrey Anzevino, director of land use advocacy for the environmental group Scenic Hudson. He said the group Anzevino said the group "commends Amtrak for withdrawing its application .... We look forward to working with Amtrak, affected communities and others to help develop a plan that can reduce risk without adversely impacting river access." Read the full story in the Albany Times Union.