Changes in Amtrak service raise concerns among Poles

Here’s a recent commonality: They’re both unhappy with Amtrak’s plans to cut several daily roundtrip flights between the Capital Region and New York City due to tunnel repairs downstate.

According to the Empire State Passengers Association, the Nov. 11 change is expected to result in delays of more than an hour.

“I call on Amtrak to work toward a solution that avoids disrupting the lives of thousands of New Yorkers and our region,” Stefanik said in a statement.

At Albany-Rensselaer Station, the eighth-busiest station in the Amtrak system, three lines – an early morning, a lunch and an evening route – are to be eliminated.

Reps. John McDonald, D-Cohoes, and Patricia Fahy, D-Albany, wrote a letter to the U.S. Department of Transportation on Tuesday calling on officials to make “significant service cuts to the thousands of our constituents and riders who rely on reliable and reliable services are required to mitigate “affordable service” at the Albany area station.

The proposal will result in a 23% reduction in service frequency in the Hudson Valley. Customers in Rhinebeck could expect higher ticket costs due to the fewer seats available.

Reductions in Amtrak service could impact Hudson riders

The upcoming schedule has raised concerns from both Greene County Legislature Chairman Patrick Linger and Columbia County Board of Supervisors Chairman Matt Murrell, who expect short-term “negative impacts.”

Hudson Mayor Kamal Johnson is looking for additional help to defuse the situation, which he expects will soon become problematic.

“It’s certainly disappointing and I will definitely be reaching out to our senior elected officials about this,” Johnson said. “Many of our residents are commuters who use Amtrak and we are looking into this to do something about it.”

ESPA is urging elected officials to encourage Amtrak to potentially pursue some of the company’s alternatives, such as adding an additional car to the remaining trains to handle greater passenger loads or switching stops.

Because the rehabilitation of four East River tunnels has long been planned, ESPA CEO Steven Strauss said Amtrak has plenty of time to relax plans for travelers.

“These suggestions can be softened,” Strauss said. “They just didn’t want to bother doing it for reasons that weren’t discussed with us.”

Strauss said it could take about two months for the scheduling changes to take effect.

Repairing the tunnel is expected to take about three years. The aim of the bid is to repair damage caused by Superstorm Sandy in 2011.

“We have communicated and collaborated with our partners at NYSDOT about these service changes and mutually agreed to this new schedule that maintains 80% of the line’s service while providing this critical infrastructure asset with its much-needed and $1.6 package Overdue upgrade receives billions in New York State investment,” Amtrak spokesman Jason Abrams said in a statement.

The speaker also thanked Fahy and McDonald’s for their “commitment to their constituents and passenger rail.”