ALBANY, N.Y. — Amtrak will restore the full Empire Service schedule between New York Penn Station and Albany-Rensselaer in early March, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said today (Tuesday, Jan. 27).
The move will restore cuts made to accommodate Amtrak’s East River Tunnel Rehabilitation Project. It will also end a proposal to extend one Metro-North Railroad round trip from Grand Central Terminal to Albany, Hochul said.
“We will soon be able to offer more Empire Service capacity than existed even before the tunnel work began last spring and run full service far earlier than anticipated, which are big wins for riders,” Hochul said in a statement.
“At the same time, I have felt the enthusiasm that met our announcement to run Metro-North’s high-quality service between Albany and Grand Central as a mitigation for reduced Amtrak service. With the full restoration of Empire Service, Amtrak has notified New York State and the MTA that it will no longer sanction temporary Metro-North service to Albany at this time.”
Hochul says she remains committed to additional service between Poughkeepsie, the rest of the Hudson Valley, and the Albany area, “including expanded Metro-North service if the demand exists.”
Amtrak initially moved to reduce the Empire Service schedule to accommodate the tunnel project in November 2024. Some service was restored that December [see “Amtrak restores …,” Trains.com, Nov. 22, 2024], then extended. A revised schedule was introduced in April [see “Amtrak schedule revisions to begin …,” April 27, 2025] and amended again in October. That was when the Metro-North proposal was introduced [see “Amtrak, Metro-North to provide …,” Oct. 20, 2025].
Amtrak said in a statement to Trains that it is “pleased to restore full Empire Service schedules in partnership with Gov. Hochul and NYSDOT, giving New Yorkers in the Hudson Valley the reliable service they know and expect. By taking advantage of schedule changes in place to support major infrastructure projects on the Northeast Corridor, Amtrak has identified the equipment necessary to fully restore the Empire Service schedule that was in place before the East River Tunnel rehabilitation project began.” The statement also said the restoration would come in early March. The tunnel project remains within budget and on schedule, with completion expected in 2027.
Metro-North President Justin Vonashek said in a statement, “We’re grateful for the governor’s successful effort to restore Amtrak service to Albany. Metro-North stands ready to explore options for more — and more affordable — service up the Hudson River.”
— Updated at 7:26 p.m. CT with Amtrak comment; updated Jan. 28 at 8:30 a.m. CT with comment from MTA. To report news or errors, contact trainsnewswire@firecrown.com.
This is another problematic move, probably precipitated by finances. The GCT-Albany route would have relieved stress at Penn and the route north.