advertisement

---

Starting next week, Amtrak plans to rollout its historic “Great Dome” rail car for five weeks on the Adirondack route.

Amtrak is partnering with the New York State Department of Transportation and the National Park Service Trail & Rails program to return the railroad’s only domed car to service Sept. 13 to Oct. 21. The car will allow riders to view upstate New York’s fall foliage, Amtrak officials said in a prepared statement.

The car’s upper level features windows on all sides and overhead, providing a panoramic view.

The return of the special car coincides with a continued rise in overall ridership on the New York state-supported Adirondack service, which so far this fiscal year (October 2011 through July 2012) has registered more than 104,000 riders, a 3.9 percent increase compared with the same period a year earlier, Amtrak officials said.

The dome car will operate northbound from Albany, N.Y., to Montreal on Thursdays, Saturdays and Mondays.