Amtrak Empire Service (New York State)

Utica station tracks one and two are the only tracks Amtrak can use. There is another track on the north side of the track one platform that is used by the Adirondak scenic RR, however this track dosent connect to the CSX main line west of the station.

Station Aficionado wrote:Rochester—the new station (opening next year) will have two dedicated passenger tracks, I assume served by an island platform with tunnel access.

Yes. I was trying to find the construction plans I had seen a while back but didn't search overly hard for them... IIRC the island and dedicated tracks will be in between the two main (freight) tracks.

Buffalo-Depew—four tracks, but only one serviceable by the side platform. There’s a parking lot beyond the fourth track, but maybe there’s room to shoehorn a second platform? It looks like it would need a bridge.

The two northernmost tracks (3 & 4) are actually leads for Frontier, so I doubt CSX would ever allow Amtrak to tie up #4 with another platform, considering the backups they usually have waiting to get in and out of the yard as it is.

Buffalo-Exchange St.—just a single track (although the ROW looks like it might be wide enough to accommodate a second one. Can some address the ROW situation at the Canalside location (assuming that's different from Exchange St)?

The entire area between Exchange and what is now Scott St was yards in the '50s, occupied by all the major players, long before the I190 was built in there. There were originally two tracks headed for Niagara Falls but I think the ability to add a second back in has been compromised heavily by the Expressway Bulge. Additionally I don't think the usage would warrant it, I don't believe CSX runs freights up that section of track much, they mostly take the Belt around to the old H/North Buffalo tower (Military/Hertel area) to get to the Niagara Branch, leaving Amtrak to itself along the riverside around the west side. I can't speak as to where Mr. Brown intended to put a station near Canalside, but there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of real estate open that I can see where it would be convenient near the Niagara Branch, and that wouldn't provide the benefit of a single station serving Buffalo because, as someone else said, it would still not be able to serve the LSL.


My personal thought on trying to serve both routes with one station but still be near the city -- and I can't say what the "area" is like as I've never personally driven through it, but if you built a terminal around the Exchange/Hamburg/Seneca area you could potentially set up platforms (albeit curved or move northeast a bit to the straights) to catch both the Compromise (Main Track 3) and Niagara Branches where they split there. This would benefit Amtrak to be able to serve both routes with one station, still be near the city proper, and lighten the load on CSX on the 1&2 Mains as well as avoiding the traffic jam that is the BCK lift bridge. Just a thought.
*awaits the tomato throwing*

Buffalo Central discussion here: http://railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=158020" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; I moved some posts over there. Let's limit this to corridor improvements. Thanks!

I'm currently taking a ride back to NYPenn from Syracuse on Amtrak 48. I'm excited to see how much this stretch of track has improved in the last 10 years. Rides decently quick and smooth. I particularly like the sections where the MAS was upgraded from 79 to 110. I still have to get myself onto an Acela so I can feel that 150mph, but until I get to do that 110 will have to do.

I've taken some pictures and posted them to an imgur gallery so you call take a look. I took some pictures of the ongoing platform work in Albany, as well as random scenic shots.

http://imgur.com/gallery/yKhjV

I'm not aware of anywhere along the line where sections have been upgraded from 79 to 110mph.
As far as I know the total length of 110mph trackage is the same as it has been for quite a while.

With the amount of speed restrictions that grow on that bulletin every week it doesnt seem like they have fixed anything yet.

A few items of note. They have finally started to pour the new platforms in Albany however they might not be in service till sometime around Christmas. Tracks one and two should be back in service by early next week at the latest.

Once CP145 is finished most likely this weekend, the LAB operator will no longer have any control of the Albany station just there to swing bridge.

The Lakeshore will go back to the old ways of cutting and adding the B&A at Albany Tuesday for the first attempt at 48 and Wednesday for the first attempt at both 49 and 48. Not sure how its going to work but Im sure to learn. Platform length and where to do the cuts adds is going to be the issue.

So what you're saying is for the first day or two, you one my find if they're in an end car they're either in the middle of the platform, or left overhanging somewhere near the LAB while the engineers and folks figure out where to do the cuts?

Seriously, good news. I can't wait to see the finished results.

It isnt rocket science the cut can be made anywhere so can the hitch. If they can do it in penn station every single day for the last 100 years I am sure they can do it in Albany.

Its not the act of making the cuts and hitch it where is the safest place to do so. There is still plenty of construction going on during the day. New moves with the dispatcher and crews can lead to confusion and delay.

Improvements at Rensselaer: Times Union

Rensselaer rail improvements expected to reduce delays

The Rensselaer train station has its long-awaited fourth track, and the added capacity is expected to reduce delays.

The station, one of Amtrak's 10 busiest in the nation, was designed to have two platforms and four tracks when it opened in 2002, but the fourth track was eliminated at the time to save money.

As train traffic grew, the need for the fourth track also grew, and the project was included in nearly $300 million worth of passenger rail improvements in and around the Capital Region.

Those projects are now well underway and expected to be completed by next summer, said state Department of Transportation spokeswoman Carol Breen.
...
Other projects include a second track between Albany and Schenectady to relieve bottlenecks, new signals and crossing improvements.
...

I'm on the Maple Leaf heading to BFX from ALB. It looks like the track work for the fourth track in Renesselaer is done, the platform extensions are still under construction. The second track between Albany and Schenectady is mostly in place, some concrete ties, some wood. Still a lot of construction vehicles and track machines along the way. I'm not sure about the second track on the Livingston Avenue Bridge. We were held for an eastbound train and instead of waiting in the station we crossed the bridge and held at the foot of West Albany Hill. We were on the track that has been in service and will be the eastbound track. I couldn't see if the other train crossed over or used the previously out of service track on the bridge.

CharlieK wrote:It looks like the track work for the fourth track in Renesselaer is done, the platform extensions are still under construction.

Wasn't the trans-continental railroad built in less time than this is taking?

Yeah but I'm not exactly sure the Central Pacific was FRA-compliant...

Not only that, in the headlong rush to rack up mileage the construction was so slipshod that it had to be done over very soon afterwards.