A substantial proportion of Union College’s population hails from the New York City area, and for decades, Amtrak’s route between the capital region and the Big Apple has been a standby for those looking for a reliable way to visit relatives, make business trips, or just travel and see the city.
However, Amtrak recently announced a reduction in service between Albany and New York City, making it more difficult for students to travel from Schenectady and New York City via the usual route. The reason behind the reduced service is a series of rehabilitation projects happening on New York City’s East River Tunnel. Until the end of the decade, trains will be slower getting to and from New York City and Schenectady, experience greater crowding, and have longer layovers in Albany. This poses a significant challenge for Union College students who rely on Amtrak to travel to and from New York City.
An article on Times Union stated “The Adirondack line, which travels between New York City and Montreal, as well as the Maple Leaf line, which travels through the Capital Region on its route between Toronto and New York City, will also be combined into one train between Albany and New York City starting Monday, according to Amtrak.” Amtrak is now combining two trains into one, leaving less available space, more frequent stops, and an overall longer travel time. In addition to the longer train rides, it is now harder to purchase a ticket due to the high demand for the limited number of tickets.
According to an article on the Gothamist, “Amtrak said the schedule changes are necessary to accommodate the three-year infrastructure improvement project to restore two of the four tubes that make up the East River Tunnel, which were badly damaged during Superstorm Sandy.” These changes to Amtrak will stay for another three years due to the damage that Hurricane Sandy caused to the East River Tunnel. However, it is important to resolve these damages, or else they could become worse in the future and continue to disrupt train service.
Many Union students who rely on Amtrak to go downstate are frustrated that their mode of transport is facing these issues. So we asked some of these students how they feel about the matter.
First-year student Rinner Izurieta stated, “The layover time in Albany keeps increasing, plus, the trains keep accidentally getting overbooked, so it is nearly impossible to find a seat.” Before these changes, the layover time in Albany sat at around thirty minutes but now it can take almost an hour and a half. This layover, it should be noted, occurs only minutes away from campus.
Freshman Alexandra Belliard claimed, “It’s annoying because the stop at Albany is already thirty minutes long, and that (extra hour) is on top of another three-hour train ride.”
Students and commuters in general who frequently travel through the Hudson Valley are agitated that they will have to adjust to these changes for the next three years. Though Amtrak claims that this will improve trains in the long run, it does not solve the long-term problem. In the meantime, travelers can mend the problem with buses through companies such as Greyhound, which run routes from Schenectady to the city for rates often as low as $20 each way.
