Amtrak’s $1.6 billion construction plan would fully close two of the four tunnels that make up the East River Tunnel over the course of three years, in order to address damage it says was made worse by Superstorm Sandy in 2012.
The reduced schedule for the Empire Service cuts two trains, including a southbound train leaving Albany at 12:10 p.m. and northbound one departing Penn Station at 3:15 p.m. It also combines the Maple Leaf and Adirondack trains — running from New York City to Toronto and Montreal, respectively — into one single train between Penn Station and Albany, resulting in an extended layover for passengers at Albany.
Steve Strauss, executive director of the Empire State Passengers Association, says he supports the renovation of the East River Tunnel, but he worries the service reduction unfairly impacts passengers in the Hudson Valley, where ridership has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When you include the round trip that was removed in November and never returned, there’s a 23 percent reduction in train frequencies," he explains. "So that’s going to be a big impact, because there’s not going to be enough capacity in the corridor to meet the demand.”
ESPA says Amtrak tickets in the Hudson Valley already sell out three to four days a week.
ESPA isn’t alone in calling on Amtrak to make changes: Governor Kathy Hochul this week voiced her concerns about the Empire Service and potential disruptions at the Long Island Rail Road, which also uses the East River Tunnel. She urged Amtrak to switch to a “repair in place” construction model, with work happening on nights and weekends. New York Congressman Mike Lawler, a Hudson Valley Republican who is considering a run for governor, has called on the Trump Administration to force Amtrak to keep the tunnels open during the day.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which owns the LIRR, is also sounding the alarm. On Wednesday, the MTA Board passed a resolution calling on Amtrak to reconsider.
MTA Chair Janno Lieber questions Amtrak’s ability to address infrastructure and service issues as they arise, and says the MTA has repeatedly recommended a “repair in place” model.
“I ain’t giving up these hard-won gains for on-time performance for Long Islanders because Amtrak is too high-bound to consider a different way of performing work," says Lieber.
Lieber acknowledges the East River Tunnel project has already been delayed multiple times, including to allow for the construction of Grand Central Madison, which provides an additional connection to Manhattan for the LIRR. Lieber says about 40 percent of Long Island passengers currently ride into Grand Central Madison, rather than the East River Tunnel and Penn Station.
In a statement, Amtrak President Roger Harris says Amtrak got approval for its plan from the MTA and NJ Transit “several months ago,” and that it has already considered the “repair in place” approach. Ultimately, he says: “The plan we are implementing proved to be the safest, most efficient, reliable, and timely to complete the full rehabilitation of East River Tunnel, making it the best use of taxpayer investments.”
Amtrak has agreed to add extra cars to each of the 10 remaining daily, round-trip trains on its Empire Service line. But Strauss worries it won’t be able to fulfill that promise after its “Horizon” railcar fleet was pulled for safety concerns last month. He recommends Amtrak donate some coaches from its Northeast Regional line.
“This spring, they will be bringing into service a number of new trains on the Northeast Corridor, the 'Acela' replacement fleet," he notes. "If that goes very well, by sometime in the fall they may have the ability to take a few coaches off of Northeast Regional trains and shift a few of those coaches to the Hudson Valley and the Empire Corridor. And we're only talking about four or five coaches at most.”
ESPA also recommends Amtrak shift the Maple Leaf and Adirondack train schedules to shorten layovers in Albany.
Ultimately, Strauss has this advice for Hudson Valley passengers:
“The best thing you can do for yourself is make your plans in advance and buy your tickets as far in advance as you can," he says. "If you’re flexible, travel on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Those tend to be the lowest ridership days, and the days with the most tickets at lower prices.”
Amtrak says construction is expected to start May 9.
