Weeks ahead of the festive rush, Amtrak has laid out its plans to partially revive the Empire Service line, responding to the appeals from public officials and commuters alike. Starting from December 2, passengers will once again be able to access expanded services between New York City and Albany, with an increase in the number of round trips from 10 to 12, according to WNYT. This comes after a recent reduction in services triggered by preparatory work on the East River Tunnel rehabilitation project, which is slated to span three years.
Indeed, the announcement marks a reversal of the November 11 service cuts, bringing back popular commuter trains, including the 6:35 p.m. departure from Albany and the 8:35 a.m. service from New York City. While the early morning 5:05 a.m. train from Albany will remain off the schedule, Amtrak has decided to once again run the Maple Leaf and Adirondack trains separately, a move celebrated by those who faced over an hour and a half layovers at the Albany-Rensselaer station, as reported by Spectrum Local News.
Amtrak is not only expanding its service but adding additional capacity by supplementing six other trains with an extra car each, a nod to the more than 2 million passengers who have traversed this line in the past federal fiscal year. Governor Kathy Hochul, recognizing the significance of this development, hailed the service restorations as "a huge victory for passengers," expressing gratitude towards Amtrak for their cooperation. “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,” Governor Hochul stated in comments obtained by Spectrum Local News.
While the current adjustments bring immediate relief, they are a temporary measure, with services expected to be reduced again after March 2, aligning with the start of extensive construction work. However, Marie Therese Dominguez, New York State Department of Transportation’s Commissioner, assures that the state will engage in discussions with Amtrak to explore the post-construction schedule options. “We’ve got some certainty here all the way through to the spring and we’re excited about that because literally this is a high-use season," said Dominguez in a statement provided by WNYT.
