Work to Progress on New Lift Bridge on Amtrak Route in Albany NY

Replacement of a bridge in Albany, New York, used by Amtrak will advance to the final design phase after winning approval from the Federal Railroad Administration.

The bridge is owned by CSX but leased to Amtrak, which uses it for its Lake Shore Limited and Empire Service trains.

The FRA determined that replacement of the Livingston Avenue Railroad Bridge would have “no significant impact” on the environment.

The movable swing bridge over the Hudson River was built in the 19^th century and has a top speed of 15 miles per hour.

New York State Department of Transportation officials said the new bridge will be a lift structure with two tracks on a parallel alignment.

As part of the project changes will be made to the triangular ju8nction of tracks on the Rensselaer side of the river to help facilitate train turning movements.

Officials said the new bridge will better serve maritime traffic and provide pedestrians and bicyclists with access across the river.

NS Dedicates Genesee Arch Bridge

New York State and Norfolk Southern officials dedicated a new bridge on the Southern Tier line this week that spans the Genesee River gorge in Letchworth State Park.

The new steel arch bridge cost $75 million and is 963 feet in length. It replaces a distinctive trestle built by the Erie Railroad in 1875.

The new bridge, which has been named the Genesee Arch Bridge, spans a 235-foot deep gorge sometimes known as the Grand Canyon of the East.

NS officials said that the bridge will expand freight rail capacity and economic opportunities for businesses and communities across the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions.

The new bridge was built through a public-private partnership. It replaced the single-track Portageville Bridge, whose restricted train speeds and railcar weights had  NS said, “become a major transportation bottleneck.”

NS said the new structure will be able to handle industry-standard 286,000 pounds gross rail load.

The previous bridge was limited to railcar weights of 273,000 pounds.

“Trains crossing the new bridge are operating at up to 30 mph with fully loaded cars,” NS officials said.

The bridge actually opened in December 2017 and was built 75 feet south of the former bridge.

New York State contributed $15.5 million for design and construction work, including a $2 million grant from the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council and $13.5 million in state and federal funds through the New York State Department of Transportation. NS paid $59.5 million for the project.

NS also funded improvements of trails and public access to Letchworth State Park and preserved portions of the old bridge, which has been dismantled, for use in historical exhibits.

Ex-NYC Syracuse Platform Rehabilitated

The New York State Department of Transportation has completed a $1.5 million restoration of a former New York Central station platform in Syracuse, New York.

The work was done after a 2015 inspection found that the platform had decayed to a point where a privately-owned space below was threatened.

The work was paid for from the state’s transportation budget and involved replacing the concrete deck of the 560-foot long platform.

Workers also removed rust from steel columns, installed a new lightweight roof and painted the columns and back wall.

The NYC passenger station and freight platform were in 2009 placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Amtrak to Suspend Empire Corridor Train

Amtrak plans to suspend one of its Empire Service trains for more than two months west of Rensselaer, New York, due to CSX track work.

The New York-Niagara Falls trains will not operate between Sunday and Wednesday starting April 24 and continuing through July 13.

At the request of CSX, Amtrak and the New York State Department of Transportation agreed to the service suspension, which has drawn criticism from the Empire State Passengers Association.

“This is an outrageous service reduction just as the busy spring and summer travel season gets under way to and from upstate cities and tourist destinations,” the passenger advocacy group said on its Facebook page.

New York helps fund service between New York and Niagara Falls, although most trains operate between New York and Albany-Resselaer.

Two roundtrips operate between New York and Niagara Falls. Most of the route is also served by the Chicago-New York Lake Shore Limited.

Amtrak and the NYSDOT are spending $300 million to lengthen platforms at the Albany-Rensselaer station, install a fourth track at the station complex, build a second track to alleviate congestion between Albany and Schenectady, and upgrade signal and crossing systems between Rensselaer and Poughkeepsie.

2 States Still Talking Funding Pact With Amtrak

Empire Corridor train No. 288 boards passengers at Buffalo Depew station on July 31, 2011. (Photograph by Craig Sanders)

With California having reached a funding agreement with Amtrak to share costs of short-distance routes, there are now just two states left that have yet to reach a pact.

Illinois is reported to be close to coming to terms with Amtrak and negotiators are optimistic that an agreement can be reached with Indiana.

In the meantime, more details have been released about the agreement that the New York State Department and Amtrak reached.

The cost sharing agreements are required by the federal Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008.

New York state will pay about $22 million in federal fiscal year 2014 to cover operating and capital costs associated with the Empire Service trains between New York and Niagara Falls, the Adirondack (New York-Montreal), Maple Leaf (New York-Toronto), and the Ethan Allen (New York-Rutland, Vt.)

Amtrak and New York earlier had reached a separate agreement to share costs with Vermont on the Ethan Allen in which New York will pay 35 percent of the train’s costs. That is an estimated to be about $800,000, in federal fiscal year 2014.

The latest agreement will fund seven daily round trips between New York Penn Station and Albany, two daily round trips between New York and Niagara Falls, and one daily round trip each between New York and Toronto, Montreal, and Rutland. State funding will pay for operating costs associated with the lines, including fuel and labor costs., and repair and maintenance of Amtrak equipment.

Amtrak and NYSDOT have established a committee to review and approve maintenance costs for the Hudson line between Schenectady and Poughkeepsie. It costs Amtrak about $100 million per year to operate the four routes.

The $22 million state share helps make up the difference between revenues and Amtrak’s operational costs.

New York and Amtrak will establish performance measures for the state-supported trains, including  on-time performance, cleanliness of the trains and Amtrak-operated facilities, and customer service.

Amtrak and NYSDOT will develop performance program standards over the next 90 days, which will include incentives for meeting and exceeding the agreed-upon standards. The first year of the program will be used to create a baseline for future years.

The states of Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont will be establishing identical programs.

New York Reaches Amtrak Funding Pact

Illinois, Indiana and California remain the only states that have yet to reach a funding agreement with Amtrak to continue short-distance trains serving those states.

The New York State Department of Transportation announced an agreement on Thursday in which the Empire State will cover will cover most of the operating costs for all Amtrak trains operating in the state except the Lake Shore Limited and Northeast Corridor trains.

New York has long helped fund the New York-Monreal Adirondack and New York-Rutland, Vt.,  Ethan Allen Express. The latter is also supported by the State of Vermont.

New York will pay 35 percent of the costs of the Ethan Allen and pay $22 million to support Amtrak service in fiscal year 2014.

These funds will covers fuel, labor and other operating costs, plus the repair and maintenance of Amtrak’s equipment.

Amtrak and NYSDOT have also formed a committee to study sharing share maintenance costs for the portion of the Empire Corridor between Poughkeepsie and Schenectady, which Amtrak leases from CSX.

Amtrak has said that unless it reaches agreements with those states by Oct. 16, that short-haul services there will be suspended.