SCHENECTADY, N.Y. — Two weeks ahead of schedule, Schenectady’s new Amtrak station has opened.
The $23 million facility opened Wednesday, with Lt. Gov Kathy Hochul participating in a ribbon-cutting ceremony and saying, “This telegraphs to the world that we’re prepared for the future,” according to the Albany Times-Union.
It is the third new station on Amtrak’s Empire Corridor in as many years. A station opened in Niagara Falls in 2016, and another opened last year in Rochester.
The state of New York contributed $19 million toward the station, with the Federal Railroad Administration providing $3.6 million, Amtrak contributing $220,000, and the Schnectady Metroplex Development Authority providing $48,000.
Picture, please?
Did they not install high level platforms ?
Just when a number of cities are building new stations, Amtrak seems intent to downgrade most of it’s system!!
Will there be a station agent there — to sell tickets & check baggage??
When the mess in Buffalo is finally fixed Amtrak will have very nice facilities at all the significant Empire Service stops. If the state really wants to take advantage of the investments its made it needs to find a way to improve transit times/speed on the line. At least get Albany>NYC under 2 hours and Albany>Buffalo under 4 hours. Both should be possible with expanded 110 mph running and more competent dispatching from CSX. In both cases that only requires an average speed of less than 80 mph. We’re not talking bullet train stuff here…it can be done if NYS/Amtrak/CSX want to make it happen.
Here in the Midwest, every station on the Hiawatha route is new or rebuilt – Milwaukee, Milwaukee Airport, Sturtevant, Glenview and Chicago. As are some of the Metra stations that the Hiawatha passes at speed.
A picture of the new station would have been nice to illustrate this article.
I guess there wasn’t enough TV exposure to get Cuomo to show up so he sent his assistant.