Amtrak to fully restore service from Penn Station to Albany
With the full restoration of Empire Service, Amtrak said it will no longer sanction temporary Metro-North service to Albany. Credit: Getty Images/Spencer Platt
Amtrak will restore full train service between New York City and Albany in March, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Tuesday.
Ten months after Amtrak scaled back its Empire Service between Penn Station and Albany-Rensselaer to accommodate ongoing repair work in two of the four East River Tunnels, Hochul announced that the intercity passenger rail company "will be restoring all suspended or combined" trains on the route beginning in early March.
"I have been clear that our commuters cannot suffer disproportionately for regional construction projects and am glad Amtrak has heeded my call and committed to running full service for the duration of the project and beyond," Hochul said in a statement Tuesday.
In a statement, Amtrak said it was "pleased" to restore the service, which it said was possible because of "schedule changes in place to support major infrastructure projects on the Northeast Corridor."
Amtrak initially planned to eliminate two of the 10 round-trip trains it operated between Manhattan and Albany beginning in November 2024, ahead of last May's launch of the three-year tunnel rehabilitation effort. Under Hochul’s urging, Amtrak held off on scaling back the service until April of last year.
Although Hochul celebrated the service restoration, it could mean higher commuting costs for some riders. To help offset the Amtrak service reduction, the MTA’s Metro-North Railroad had planned to launch service between Grand Central Terminal and Albany for $40 each way — less than half of the $99 price tag for a coach seat on Amtrak.
Hochul said, "with the full restoration of Empire Service, Amtrak has notified New York State and the MTA that it will no longer sanction temporary Metro-North service to Albany at this time."
Alfonso Castillo has been reporting for Newsday since 1999 and covering the transportation beat since 2008. He grew up in the Bronx and Queens and now lives in Valley Stream with his wife and two sons.
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