Amtrak to reinstate temporarily suspended Empire services for winter

Amtrak’s Empire service will be fully restored for passengers during the holiday and winter travel season. This comes after letters from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and other officials urged Amtrak to restore all of the daily round trips between New York City and Albany.

Amtrak on Nov. 11 cut two of the 10 daily round trips to accommodate rehabilitation work on the East River Tunnel project. Amtrak also combined the New York-to-Canada Adirondack and Maple Leaf services in Albany, reducing round-trip time and providing one alternative option to passengers who typically use the Empire service.

Then, on Nov. 13, Hochul asked Amtrak officials to consider other options. In response and in consultation with the New York State Department of Transportation, Amtrak agreed to restore full Empire service, add more cars to select trains and again separate the Adirondack and Maple Leaf services.

Beginning Dec. 2, new schedules for the Empire route will take effect until major work begins on the tunnel. The New York state-supported Empire service carried more than 2 million passengers in the federal fiscal-year 2024, which ended Sept. 30, and set records for ridership and revenue.

“Ensuring access to reliable train travel throughout this key corridor is critical to riders who utilize the service and to communities who benefit from the economic activity they generate,” Hochul said in a press release.