Albany–Rensselaer station

Albany–Rensselaer station, formally the Joseph L. Bruno Rail Station, is a train station in Rensselaer, New York, located 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from downtown Albany across the Hudson River.[1] Operated by the Capital District Transportation Authority, it serves as Amtrak's primary station for the Capital District. The station is served by Amtrak's Empire Corridor routes – Adirondack, Berkshire Flyer, Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Lake Shore Limited, and Maple Leaf.

Rensselaer, NY
Albany-Rensselaer station in April 2016
General information
Location525 East Street
Rensselaer, New York
United States
Coordinates42°38′29″N 73°44′28″W / 42.64139°N 73.74111°W / 42.64139; -73.74111
Owned byCapital District Transportation Authority (CDTA)[1]
Line(s)Empire Corridor (Hudson Subdivision)
Platforms2 island platforms
Tracks4
ConnectionsBus transport CDTA: 114, 214[1]
Bus transport Megabus: M27
Construction
Parking512 spaces[1]
Bicycle facilitiesYes
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeAmtrak: ALB
IATA codeZLY
History
OpenedDecember 29, 1968[2]
RebuiltJune 2, 1999–September 22, 2002[1][3]
ElectrifiedNo
Passengers
FY 2023790,517[4] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Schenectady
toward Montreal
Adirondack Hudson
toward New York
Schenectady Empire Service
Schenectady
toward Burlington
Ethan Allen Express
Schenectady
toward Toronto
Maple Leaf
Reverses direction Berkshire Flyer
(seasonal)
Pittsfield
Terminus
Hudson
toward New York
Schenectady
toward Chicago
Lake Shore Limited Rhinecliff
toward New York
Pittsfield
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Colonie–Schenectady
toward Chicago
Lake Shore Poughkeepsie
Colonie–Schenectady Niagara Rainbow Hudson
Watervliet
toward Montreal
Adirondack
Rerouted in 1978
Former services at Rensselaer
Preceding station New York Central Railroad Following station
Albany
toward Chicago
Main Line Castleton-on-Hudson
toward New York
Albany
Terminus
Boston and Albany Railroad
Main Line
Niverville
toward Boston
East Greenbush
toward Boston
Preceding station Delaware and Hudson Railway Following station
Albany
Terminus
AlbanyTroy
via Rensselaer
Forbes Avenue
toward Troy
Location
Map

Station design and services

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Two Amtrak trains at Albany–Rensselaer station, as viewed from the parking deck over the platforms

The two floor station features a large main lobby that contains a coffee shop, a newsstand, and a post office. Trains call at two high-level island platforms serving two tracks in each direction. The platforms are connected to the main building by an aerial walkway that is accessed by stairs, escalator and elevator.[5] Each 605-foot (184 m) platform can accommodate up to 7 Amfleet cars, not including an engine.[citation needed]

The station is served by multiple daily round trips of the Empire Service, most of which terminate at Albany–Rensselaer. It is also served by the daily round trips of the Adirondack, Ethan Allen Express, Lake Shore Limited, and Maple Leaf, plus the seasonal Berkshire Flyer. Albany–Rensselaer is the junction point between the New York City and Boston sections of the Lake Shore Limited. Most trains continuing south of Albany swap their engines there. Diesel GE P42DC locomotives are usually used on routes north and west of Albany, while dual mode P32AC-DM locomotives are used south of Albany because diesel locomotives are not permitted in Penn Station. The P42DC is readied for a train coming northbound from New York City.[citation needed] In the late 2020s and early 2030s, the corridor routes will receive Amtrak Airo trainsets, which will eliminate the need for most engine changes at Albany–Rensselaer.[6][7]

The station is also served by Megabus and Vermont Translines intercity bus routes and by Capital District Transportation Authority local bus service.[citation needed]

History

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A Penn Central Empire Service train arriving at Albany-Rensselaer in 1970

The first station at Albany–Rensselaer was built by Penn Central in 1968 to replace Albany Union Station due to the construction of Interstate 787. It was replaced in 1980 at the same site.[8] The 1968 building was torn down in order to expand the station's parking facility. The current structure was completed in September 2002 and opened on September 22.[9] 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.[10]

The station was originally intended to have four tracks, but was built with only three due to cost concerns, leaving the station with fewer than preferable tracks.[9] 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.[9] 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.[9] On October 27, 2010, demolition of the two other buildings began.[8] In a December 4, 2012 press release, Amtrak indicated that installation of the fourth track would begin in 2013,[11] and the project was completed in March 2016.[12]

By 2020, it was Amtrak's ninth-busiest station, as well as the busiest to serve a metro area with a population smaller than 2 million,[13] a distinction it has held since at least 2010.[8] This is primarily due to the large number of passengers who commute to and from New York City.[citation needed] In March 2020, Adirondack and Ethan Allen Express service was suspended north of Albany–Rensselaer as part of a round of service reductions in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.[14] Ethan Allen Express service was restored in July 2021, and Adirondack service was restored in April 2023.[15]

The Berkshire Flyer began running on July 8, 2022, providing direct service to Pittsfield on summer weekends. The train reverses direction at Albany–Rensselaer.[16] In October 2023, the station was formally renamed in honor of the late New York State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, who was instrumental in replacing the old station (which he once described as a "matchbox") with the current facility. It is one of two major public facilities in Rensselaer County named for Bruno, the other being Joseph L. Bruno Stadium in Troy.[17]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Rail Stations". Capital District Transportation Authority. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  2. ^ "Penn-Central to Open New Rensselaer Station Dec. 29". The Times-Record. Troy, New York. December 20, 1968. p. 3. Retrieved June 23, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ Holland, Jesse J. (June 3, 1999). "New Digs". The Post-Star. Glens Falls, New York. p. A5. Retrieved November 14, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.  
  4. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023: State of New York" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  5. ^ Anderson, Eric (June 26, 2017). "Rensselaer Amtrak station gets new escalators". Times Union. Albany, New York. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  6. ^ "Introducing Our New Trains: Amtrak Airo". Amtrak. December 15, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  7. ^ "Amtrak FY 2022–2027 Asset Line Plan" (PDF). Amtrak. p. 132. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  8. ^ a b c Anderson, Eric (October 27, 2010). "High-Speed Rail Chugs Toward the Fast Lane". Times Union. Albany, New York. Retrieved November 13, 2010.
  9. ^ a b c d Woodruff, Cathy (February 14, 2010). "Train Late? Old Stations Derail New Track". Times Union. Albany, New York. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
  10. ^ "2002 Award of Merit: Transit Project". Engineering News-Record. McGraw-Hill. December 1, 2002. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
  11. ^ "Governor Cuomo Announces Hudson Rail Lease – Amtrak/CSX Deal Will Improve Passenger Service, Move Projects Forward" (PDF) (Press release). Albany, New York: Amtrak. December 4, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2012.
  12. ^ Anderson, Eric (March 7, 2016). "Fourth Track Opens At Station". Times Union. Albany, New York. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
  13. ^ "2020 Corporate Profile" (PDF). Amtrak. April 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  14. ^ "Service Adjustments Due to Coronavirus" (Press release). Amtrak. March 24, 2020. Archived from the original on March 25, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  15. ^ "Amtrak Adirondack Line to resume by April". NEWS10 ABC. March 10, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  16. ^ Britton-Mehlisch, Meg (July 8, 2022). "'Sold out' Berkshire Flyer train is rolling towards Pittsfield, after on-time departure from New York City". The Berkshire Eagle. Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  17. ^ Lauren Stanforth (October 5, 2023). "Rensselaer County now has two public buildings named for Joe Bruno". Times Union. Archived from the original on October 9, 2023.
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  Media related to Albany–Rensselaer station at Wikimedia Commons