Albany–Rensselaer (Amtrak station)

Albany – Rensselaer Amtrak station
View of station from the parking deck
Station statistics
Address	525 East Street Rensselaer, NY 12144
Coordinates	42°38′29″N 73°44′28″W
Line(s)	Maple Leaf   Adirondack   Empire Service   Ethan Allen Express   Lake Shore Limited
Connections	CDTA: 114, 214 Megabus.com: M27
Platforms	1 side platform, 1 island platform
Tracks	3
Parking	Yes; paid
Baggage check	Yes
Other information
Opened	2002
Accessible
Station code	ALB
Owned by	Capital District Transportation Authority
Traffic
Passengers (2013)	764,898  0.6%
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station Schenectady toward Montreal Adirondack Hudson toward New York City Schenectady toward Niagara Falls, NY Empire Service Schenectady toward Rutland Ethan Allen Express Schenectady toward Toronto Maple Leaf Schenectady toward Chicago Lake Shore Limited Poughkeepsie toward New York City Pittsfield toward Boston South Station

The Albany – Rensselaer Rail Station is a long-distance rail terminal in Rensselaer, New York, located 1.5 miles from downtown Albany across the Hudson River. As of 2007, the station was Amtrak's tenth-busiest station and by 2010 it had become the ninth-busiest, as well as the busiest to serve a metro area with a population smaller than 2 million. It is served by many of Amtrak's northeastern routes outside of the Northeast Corridor, including the Lake Shore Limited, whose Boston and New York branches meet at the station.

History

Interior of the current station.

Operated by the Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA), the current structure was completed in September 2002 and opened on September 22, 2002. It features a Coffee Beanery coffeeshop, a newsstand, and a post office. It was designed by the Schenectady architecture firm Stracher–Roth Gilmore and the New York firm Vollmer Associates, with Ryan-Biggs of Troy providing structural engineering, Sage/Engineering Associates providing MEP engineering services, Erdman Anthony of Troy providing facilities engineering, and constructed by U. W. Marx/Bovis joint venture.

The intermodal station replaced two previous terminal buildings, one built in 1968 and the other in 1980. The 1968 building, which is riddled with asbestos, has since been torn down to make more room for the station's parking facility, just before the entrance to the parking garage. Before 1968, trains stopped at Union Station in Albany itself. That building, located on Broadway, now houses the northeast headquarters of Bank of America (via predecessors Fleet Bank and Norstar Bank). The New York Central Railroad had plans to leave Albany, in part because Interstate 787 needed the space occupied by a rail yard, but the move took place under Penn Central's watch.

Today's station was built with three tracks (a fourth was planned, but eliminated due to cost) and the station has had fewer than preferable tracks since. In October 2008, it was announced that a fourth track would be built after the two previous terminal buildings were demolished; a contract for that work was assigned at the same time. Design work was proceeding on the fourth track as of February 2010, but actual construction was placed on hold pending resolution of funding issues and demolition of the two terminal buildings to the north. On October 27, 2010, demolition of the two other buildings began. In a December 4, 2012 press release, Amtrak indicated that installation of the fourth track would begin in 2013, with the project fully completed by the fall of 2017.

Transportation services

Amtrak

With the exception of the Boston branch of the Lake Shore Limited, all trains have southbound service to Penn Station in New York City.

• Adirondack to Montreal
• Empire Service: all trains to New York (via Hudson, Rhinecliff, Poughkeepsie, Croton-on-Hudson, Yonkers); some westbound to Buffalo and Niagara Falls.
• Ethan Allen Express to Rutland, Vermont
• Lake Shore Limited to Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, Cleveland, Toledo, and Chicago
  • New York Branch (Train 48/49): Poughkeepsie, Croton-on-Hudson, New York (Penn Station)
  • Boston Branch (Train 448/449): Pittsfield, Springfield, Worcester, Framingham, Boston (Back Bay), Boston (South Station)
• Maple Leaf to Toronto

Bus

The intercity Megabus operates regular service to New York City and Ridgewood, N.J.

Two bus routes operated by the Capital District Transportation Authority, the local public transportation agency, serves the station:

• 114-Madison/Washington: Every 30 minutes during the day, and every hour on nights and weekends.
• 214-Rensselaer/Third Street-Amtrak: Every 30 minutes during rush hours, every 40 minutes during the day and about every hour on nights and weekends.

Automotive

Rental cars and taxis are also available at the station.

Platforms and Tracks

The station's two high-level island platforms are connected to the main building by an aerial walkway. Each 605-foot platform can accommodate up to 7 Amfleet cars, not including an engine.

Notable places nearby

• Empire State Plaza
• Hudson River Way
• New York State Capitol

References

Notes

External links

• Amtrak – Stations – Albany-Rensselaer Station
• Albany-Rensselaer Amtrak Station (USA Rail Guide -- Train Web)
• Albany-Rensselaer Amtrak Station (The SubwayNut)
• Albany-Rensselaer on Great American Stations