NEW YORK — Amtrak has agreed to restore most of the Empire Service between New York City and upstate New York through March 2 following requests from Gov. Kathy Hochul and part of the state’s congressional delegation, the passenger operator has announced.
Beginning Dec. 2, the Adirondack and Maple Leaf will again operate as separate trains between New York Penn Station and Albany; one round trip — involving trains 235 and 238 — will be restored; and an additional car will be added to those trains, as well as trains 233, 234, 244, and 245.
“These service restorations are a huge victory for passengers who depend on the Empire Service,” Hochul said in an Amtrak press release, “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 says the move means the trains “used historically by more than 98% of Empire Service customers will be in service until Amtrak’s major tunnel work begins in the spring.” The $1.6 billion project will restore two of the tunnel’s four tubes that sustained significant damage as a result of 2012’s Hurricane Sandy.
As part of schedule changes to accommodate tunnel work, Amtrak had cut the number of Empire Service round trips from 10 to eight as of Nov. 10. It also combined the Adirondack and Maple Leaf between Penn Station and Albany in a move that created an almost two-hour stop in Albany for Adirondack passengers in one direction and a wait of more than an hour for Maple Leaf riders in the other [see “Adirondack operating indifference …,” Trains News Wire, Oct. 10, 2024].
The new schedule led to letters calling for Amtrak to change its service plans, first from seven Republican members of the House of Representatives [see “Legislators’ letter calls for Amtrak to delay changes …,” News Wire, Nov. 3, 2024] and later from Hochul [see “New York governor asks Amtrak to revise changes …,” News Wire, Nov. 16, 2024].
Amtrak had already made an adjustment allowing the Adirondack and Maple Leaf to operate separately during the Thanksgiving holiday period [see “Traveling on Amtrak for the holidays,” Trains.com, Nov. 18, 2024].
