Amtrak’s Empire Service will be restored to previous levels between New York City and the Albany-Rensselaer train station after being reduced due to downstate repairs.
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday that all combined or suspended Empire Service lines between Rensselaer and Penn Station will return starting in early March — though Amtrak has told the state and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority that temporary Metro-North service from New York City into Albany will no longer be sanctioned.
Empire Service lines had been reduced in October 2024 due to upgrades made to the East River Tunnel, which is a series of tubes used by Amtrak, the Long Island Rail Road and NJ Transit. Those upgrades were made more important after Superstorm Sandy damaged the tunnel in 2012.
“Nearly three million New Yorkers rely on this state-supported train to travel between New York City, the Hudson Valley, and the Capital Region each year,” Gov. Hochul said in a statement. “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.”
The governor added that she is “fully committed” to proposals to improve transit between New York City and the upper Hudson Valley and Capital Region, including a Metro-North expansion beyond the Hudson Line’s northernmost stop in Poughkeepsie.