Albany-Rensselaer (Amtrak station)
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| Albany-Rensselaer | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 View of station from the parking deck |
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| Station statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Address | 525 East Street Rensselaer, NY 12144 |
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| Coordinates | 42°38′29″N 73°44′28″W / 42.64139°N 73.74111°WCoordinates: 42°38′29″N 73°44′28″W / 42.64139°N 73.74111°W | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lines | Maple Leaf Adirondack Empire Service Ethan Allen Express Lake Shore Limited | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Connections | CDTA: 214 Megabus.com: M27 |
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| Parking | Yes; paid | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Baggage check | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 2002 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accessible |  |
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| Code | ALB | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owned by | CDTA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traffic | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Passengers (2009) | 723,913 ▼ 12.9% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Albany-Rensselaer Rail Station is a long-distance rail terminal in Rensselaer, New York, located 1.5 miles from downtown Albany across the Hudson River. As of 2007[update], the station was Amtrak's tenth-busiest station.[1] It is served by many of Amtrak's northeastern routes outside of the Northeast Corridor, including the Lake Shore Limited, whose Boston and New York branches meet at the station.
Operated by the Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA), the current structure was completed in September 2002. It features a Coffee Beanery coffeeshop, a newsstand, and a post office. It was designed by the Schenectady architecture firm Stracher Roth Gilmore, with Ryan-Biggs of Troy providing structural engineering, and Erdman Anthony of Troy providing facilities engineering.
The intermodal station replaced the adjacent 1968 terminal. That building, which is riddled with asbestos, now lies vacant in the western end of the station's parking facility, just before the entrance to the parking garage. Before 1968, trains stopped at Union Station in Albany itself. That building, located on Broadway, now houses the northeast headquarters of Bank of America (via predecessors Fleet Bank and Norstar Bank). The New York Central Railroad had plans to leave Albany, in part because Interstate 787 needed the space occupied by a rail yard, but the move took place under Penn Central's watch.
Today's station was built with three tracks (a fourth was planned, but eliminated due to cost) and the station has had fewer than preferable tracks since. In January 2007, it was announced that a fourth track would be built, allowing freight trains to bypass the station and reduce delays.
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[edit] Transportation services
[edit] Amtrak
With the exception of the Boston branch of the Lake Shore Limited, all trains have southbound service to Penn Station in New York City.
- Adirondack to Montreal
- Empire Service: all trains to New York (via Hudson, Rhinecliff, Poughkeepsie, Croton-on-Hudson, Yonkers); some westbound to Buffalo and Niagara Falls.
- Ethan Allen Express to Rutland, Vermont
- Lake Shore Limited to Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, Cleveland, Toledo, and Chicago
- New York Branch (Train 48/49): Croton-on Hudson, New York (Penn Station)
- Boston Branch (Train 448/449): Pittsfield, Springfield, Worcester, Framingham, Boston (Back Bay), Boston (South Station)
- Maple Leaf to Toronto
[edit] Bus
The intercity Megabus operates regular service to New York City and Ridgewood, N.J.
One bus route operated by the Capital District Transportation Authority, the local public transportation agency, serves the station:
- 214-Rensselaer/Third Street-Amtrak: Every 30 minutes during rush hours, every 40 minutes elsewhen during the day and about every hour on nights and weekends.
[edit] Automotive
Rental cars and taxis are also available at the station; as of 2009, a taxi ride to downtown Albany costs $10.75.
[edit] Gallery
 Interior of the current station |
 Old station located next door to the current station |
[edit] References
- ^ Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2006: New York, Amtrak statistics, accessed February 10, 2008
