Sep. 3—ALBANY — After a summerlong hiatus to repair tracks north of the border, Amtrak train service between Albany and Montreal is set to resume Monday.
The service was halted in May to allow for work on tracks north of the New York/Quebec border. Those tracks are owned by the Canadian National railway and had deteriorated to the point where trains had to slow significantly during hot weather.
Amtrak and Canadian National had previously tussled over who should pay for the track improvements, but the organizations reached an agreement in May. Amtrak contributed to the cost.
May's stoppage was initially thought to last until July, but the line remained closed longer, with the scheduled reopening on Sept. 9.
During the stoppage, Trailways provided service between the Capital Region and Montreal. The bus and train operators have since entered into a cooperative partnership allowing travelers to buy tickets on both services. That allows a person to, for instance, take the train from New York City to Rensselaer and then get a bus to Montreal. While Amtrak is expected to run one Montreal-bound train a day, Trailways has four trips from Albany, said company president Alex Berardi.
The Amtrak route between Albany and Montreal is scenic, although it may not be the fastest way to make the trip, which is about 3 1/2 hours by car. According to their schedule and timetable, the trip between the Albany/Rensselaer train station and Montreal is 8 1/2 hours.
Part of that is due to the stop at customs, said Amtrak spokesman Jason Abrams. And part of it is because the train also stops at Schenectady, Saratoga Springs and Glens Falls. Additionally, the rail line does not follow a straight direct path to Montreal.
Tickets one-way from Albany to Montreal were $74 as of Tuesday afternoon.
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