NY: Hochul urges Amtrak to rethink scheduling changes during East River project

Gov. Kathy Hochul has asked Amtrak's leaders to rethink their plans to reduce trips between Albany, the Hudson Valley and New York City as well as other scheduling modifications that the corporation is proposing while it undertakes a massive rehabilitation project of the East River Tunnel.

The proposed scheduling changes, set to take effect this week, have Amtrak losing three daily round trips between the Capital Region and New York City. And travelers heading north to Montreal are expected to face long layovers of 90 minutes or more, according to Steve Strauss, executive director of the Empire State Passengers Association.

The multi-year construction project is expected to limit the number of Amtrak passenger trains that can travel from the maintenance/overnight yards in Queens to the Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station Manhattan, Strauss said.

In a letter to Amtrak's board Chairman Anthony Coscia and CEO Stephen J. Gardner, the governor said that while her administration supports the project and its intent to address repair backlogs in the Northeast Corridor, "Empire Service trains are receiving a disproportionate share of impacts to schedules and it is critical that you maximally restore service and protect New York's riding public while the project progresses."

The Empire Service is a 460-mile rail system that runs between New York City and Niagara Falls and is supported by the state Department of Transportation. Those trains have carried more than 2 million passengers during the current federal fiscal year, setting records for ridership and revenue, according to the governor's office.

"The reduction in service, in addition to the operational changes to the Maple Leaf and Adirondack lines, will directly impact both and make it harder for New Yorkers to get around the state," Hochul wrote. "For these reasons, (state transportation) Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez recently wrote to you offering several mitigation strategies that could be effective in maintaining ridership throughout the duration of the project, including proposals to restore service through operation of some trains to Grand Central Terminal or via another feasible alternative, or by expanding the trains that operate in the New York City- Albany market to six cars."

Dominguez addressed her letter on Nov. 8 to Stephen Gardner, Amtrak's chief operating officer, saying that if cancelled trips cannot be restored then the company should expand the trains running between Albany and New York City to six cars.

"This critical change to the operating plan will make the amount of seat miles available comparable to the present condition," Dominguez wrote. "While it is recognized that equipment availability is a primary concern with these proposals, (the state Department of Transportation) urges Amtrak to do everything possible to explore options to obtain the equipment that will bring more flexibility in mitigating the planned service reductions as quickly as possible."

A passenger who uses Amtrak to get from Albany to New York City told the Times Union that the changes have made it "impossible" get travel to Albany from New York City after 9 p.m. unless travelers wait for a midnight bus.

"Can't go to Knicks games, Broadway shows or business dinners and make it home same night without having to stay overnight in hotel," the person said. "And waste half the next day travelling back."

The governor urged Coscia and Gardner to consider the recommended strategies "or other viable alternatives presented by numerous stakeholders, and find a solution that immediately mitigates the impacts to this line, fully restores service and supports the millions of riders who depend on this critical mode of transportation."

Strauss said the new schedule will have a heavier impact on the Hudson Valley than train services that run to places like Long Island or New Jersey on the Long Island Railroad or New Jersey Transit system.

Amtrak didn't post the scheduled changes but announced the project earlier in the year.

"Amtrak plans to maintain the vast majority of service, with slight schedule changes for Northeast Regional and Acela trains, as well as modifications to some Long Distance and State Supported services," Amtrak spokesman Jason Abrams said previously.

"Amtrak and the railroad partners are coordinating closely to mitigate service impacts and will provide detailed service information via numerous channels in the coming months," he added.

But trains that had been running from Albany to New York City in the early morning, mid-day and evening were recently listed as being eliminated.

"The new schedule will reduce Amtrak service in the Hudson Valley by three daily round trips, a 23 percent reduction in frequencies, and combine two international trains into one between Albany and New York City forcing passengers on one of the trains to wait in the Senator Joseph Bruno train station in Rensselaer for nearly two hours before continuing their journey," Strauss had explained.

The other problem will stem from delays on the northbound Adirondack route from Albany/ Rensselaer to Montreal. Passengers on that line from New York City could face long delays due to the new configuration. Riders coming from the west on the Maple Leaf route also will face delays.

The Adirondack line from Albany to Montreal was shut down last year and for part of this year while workers fixed tracks north of the border in Quebec. Before that, the route was shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are four East River tunnels being rehabilitated sequentially. Some were damaged during Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and some have decayed with the passage of time. The work, Amtrak said, is expected to last for three years, although it is unclear how long Amtrak schedules will be impacted.

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