Amtrak to restore Empire Service in time for the holidays

ALBANY | Gov. Kathy Hochul, Amtrak and the New York State Department of Transportation have announced a restoration of Amtrak's Empire Service that will aid passengers during the upcoming holiday and winter travel seasons. Following a letter sent by Governor Hochul and others earlier this month urging Amtrak to take action, the railroad — in consultation with the New York State Department of Transportation — has agreed to restore nearly all of the trains that had been temporarily suspended in previously announced service modifications. Additionally, Amtrak has agreed to add additional cars to other Empire Service trains in order to further mitigate the disruption to passengers. "Ensuring access to reliable train travel throughout this key corridor is critical to riders who utilize the service and to communities who benefit from the economic activity they generate," Gov. Hochul said in the Nov. 22 announcement. "These service restorations are a huge victory for passengers who depend on the Empire Service, and I thank Amtrak for working with us to ensure that we minimize to the fullest extent possible the schedule disruptions caused by the East River Tunnel Rehabilitation Project." Amtrak President Roger Harris said, "As part of our strong collaboration with Gov. Hochul, NYSDOT and others, and in accommodation with other important infrastructure projects in the region, beginning Monday, Dec. 2, our new schedules will ensure that the trains used by more than 98% of customers will be in service until major tunnel work begins. The tunnel work, an essential infrastructure improvement project and a $1.6 billion investment for New York State, will improve train service reliability both within New York State and throughout the Northeast Corridor." The state-supported Empire Service carried more than two million passengers in federal fiscal year 2024 and set all-time records for ridership and revenue. In October, Amtrak announced the decision to reduce service by two daily round trips between Albany and New York City and implemented additional operational modifications to the Maple Leaf and Adirondack lines while it undertakes a rehabilitation of the East River Tunnel which was flooded during Superstorm Sandy in 2012. The state remains supportive of the project and its aim to address a state-of-good repair backlog on the Northeast Corridor. To address these impacts, Governor Hochul sent a letter to Amtrak Executives urging them to consider the many mitigation alternatives proposed by stakeholders, including the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) who partially funds the service. After reevaluating all possible options, and in collaboration with commuter partners that utilize Penn Station, Amtrak is enhancing the Empire Service schedule in effect during construction work impacting Amtrak's terminal in New York City. Beginning Monday, December 2, the new schedules will ensure that the trains used historically by more than 98 percent of Empire Service customers will be in service until Amtrak's major tunnel work begins in the Spring. This includes: -The Adirondack and Maple Leaf will again operate as separate trains between New York City and Albany and allow for reduced wait times in Albany for Upstate customers. -Trains 235 and 238 will be restored. -Amtrak will add a fifth train car to the following trains: 233, 234, 235, 238, 244 and 245. These measures will be effective through Sunday, March 2, 2025. Amtrak will continue to evaluate the service plan, including additional capacity, to see if there are any new possibilities for making improvements, restoring service or modifying it based on future development. Assemblyman Billy Jones was among those to applaud the restoration after he joined the calls and advocacy for Amtrak to reconsider their temporary cuts, saying it would also help alleviate delays felt on the Adirondack Line. "This is great news for the North Country after experiencing many delays and cancellations since 2020 and will ensure that locals, college students and their families will be able to continue to use Amtrak to travel for business and leisure and will help tourists to travel to the North Country as well to experience many of the things we have to offer. I met with Amtrak officials earlier this month to push them to reconsider this decision and I want to thank the Governor, my colleagues, and the North Country Chamber of Commerce who joined me in standing up for all New Yorkers who rely on Amtrak for their transportation needs." The North Country Chamber of Commerce also welcomed the reversal of plans by Amtrak to institute long layovers at Albany-Rensselaer for the Adirondack train between Montreal and New York City. "They listened to the strong advocacy of Congresswoman Stefanik, Governor Hochul, Assemblyman Jones, and others and reversed course on what would have been yet another disruption in our Adirondack service," said Chamber President Garry Douglas. "We thank these officials for their solidarity and active support and can now resume promotion of ridership while continuing to encourage Amtrak to end its disruptions of our service once and for all."

Signup for our newsletter

Amtrak to restore Empire Service in time for the holidays

COMPANY

CUSTOMER SUPPORT

SUBMISSION FORMS

BEYOND THE NEWS