Empire Corridor

Coordinates: 43°9′47.6″N 77°36′28.9″W / 43.163222°N 77.608028°W / 43.163222; -77.608028
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Empire Corridor
Empire Corridor (red) as designated by the Federal Railroad Administration
Overview
OwnerCSX (Niagara–Poughkeepsie)
Metro-North (Poughkeepsie–Riverdale)
Amtrak (Riverdale–New York)
Termini
Stations35 (12 Amtrak, 20 Metro North, 3 shared)
Service
TypeHigher-speed rail, commuter rail
SystemAmtrak
CSX Transportation
ServicesEmpire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Adirondack, Lake Shore Limited, Maple Leaf, Berkshire Flyer, Hudson Line
Operator(s)CSX (Niagara–Schenectady)
Amtrak (Schenectady–Poughkeepsie)
Metro-North (Poughkeepsie–Yonkers)
Amtrak (Yonkers–New York)
Technical
Line length461 mi (742 km)
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Route map

Niagara Falls, New York
Amtrak
Buffalo–Exchange Street
Amtrak
Buffalo–Depew
Amtrak
Rochester
Amtrak
Syracuse
Amtrak
Rome
Amtrak
Utica
Adirondack Railroad Amtrak
Amsterdam
Amtrak
Schenectady
Amtrak
Albany–Rensselaer
Amtrak
Hudson
Amtrak
Rhinecliff
Amtrak
Poughkeepsie Yard
Poughkeepsie
Amtrak
New Hamburg
Wappingers Creek
Beacon
Newburgh–Beacon Ferry
Fishkill Creek
Dutchess Junction
Breakneck Ridge
Breakneck Tunnel
Cold Spring
Garrison Tunnel (southbound)
Garrison
Manitou
Anthony's Nose Tunnel
Middle Tunnel
Little Tunnel
Roa Hook
Annsville Creek
Peekskill
Montrose
Cortlandt
Crugers
Oscawana
Oscawana Tunnel
Croton North
Croton–Harmon
Amtrak
Croton River
Ossining
Haverstraw–Ossining Ferry
Scarborough
Philipse Manor
Tarrytown
Irvington
Ardsley-on-Hudson
Dobbs Ferry
Hastings-on-Hudson
Greystone
Glenwood
Yonkers
Amtrak
Ludlow
Mount St. Vincent
Riverdale
New York Penn Station enlarge…
Amtrak NJ Transit

The Empire Corridor is a 461-mile (742 km) passenger rail corridor in New York State running between Penn Station in New York City and Niagara Falls, New York. Major cities on the route include Poughkeepsie, Albany, Schenectady, Amsterdam, Utica, Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo. Much of the corridor was once part of the New York Central Railroad's main line.

Amtrak's Empire Service and Maple Leaf serve the entire length of the Empire Corridor, with the Maple Leaf continuing northwest to Toronto. The Lake Shore Limited follows most of the corridor from New York City, diverging west to Chicago at Buffalo–Depew station. The Berkshire Flyer takes the corridor to Albany–Rensselaer before diverging east to Pittsfield, while the Adirondack and Ethan Allen Express travel one stop further to Schenectady before diverging north to Montreal and Burlington, respectively. Metro-North Railroad's Hudson Line merges with the Empire Corridor in Spuyten Duyvil, Bronx, just south of Riverdale, providing commuter rail service between Poughkeepsie, New York and Grand Central Terminal.

The line is electrified by both overhead catenary and top-running third rail on the Amtrak-owned segment between Penn Station and 41st Street, and by under-running third rail on the Metro-North segment, from the merge with the Hudson Line to Croton–Harmon. The Amtrak-owned section between 41st Street and the merge with the Hudson Line is unpowered and can only be served by diesel or dual-mode trains.

The corridor is also one of ten federally designated high-speed rail corridors in the United States. If the proposed high-speed service were built on the corridor, trains traveling between Buffalo and New York City would travel at speeds of up to 125 mph (201 km/h). In the 1890s, the Empire State Express between New York City and Buffalo was about 1 hour faster than Amtrak's service in 2013. On September 14, 1891, the Empire State Express covered the 436 miles (702 km) between New York City and Buffalo in 7 hours and 6 minutes (including stops), averaging 61.4 mph (98.8 km/h), with a top speed of 82 mph (132 km/h).[1][2]

Ownership[edit]

The Empire Corridor is largely owned by CSX Transportation (CSX), which owns most of the trackage between Niagara Falls and Poughkeepsie.[3] Amtrak owns trackage rights for most of the Hudson line section north of Poughkeepsie to its rail yard in Albany. South of Poughkeepsie, the Empire Corridor is coextensive with Metro-North's trackage until it forks-off between Metro-North's Riverdale and Spuyten Duyvil stations in the Bronx, to cross the Harlem River over the Spuyten Duyvil Bridge and make the Empire Connection to Penn Station. Amtrak owns the trackage after that fork, the West Side Line.

The corridor had been part of the main line of the New York Central Railroad; it was the eastern leg of the NYC's famed "Water Level Route" to Chicago. The corridor passed to Penn Central in 1968 upon the NYC's merger with the Pennsylvania Railroad, and passed to Conrail in 1976. In a series of purchases in the 1980s and 1990s, Amtrak bought the Bronx–Manhattan segment, Metro-North acquired the Poughkeepsie–Bronx segment, and CSX acquired the remainder when it split Conrail's assets with Norfolk Southern, in 1999.

On October 18, 2011, Amtrak and CSX announced an agreement for Amtrak to lease, operate and maintain the CSX-owned trackage between Poughkeepsie and Schenectady.[4] Amtrak officially assumed control of the line on December 1, 2012.[5] Later, Amtrak bought the segment between Schenectady and Hoffmans from CSX.

Current services[edit]

The busiest segment of the Empire Corridor is between New York City and Albany with multiple trains per day.

Amtrak[edit]

Southbound Amtrak train on Hudson line tracks, just south of Riverdale Station. Looking south from 254th street bridge, Riverdale, Bronx, NY

The following trains operate along the varied segments of the corridor:

Commuter rail[edit]

Freight service[edit]

Freight service is provided by CSX Transportation.

Stations[edit]

All stations are in the state of New York.

Location Mile (km) Station Current station
opened
Corridor services Connections
ES ML LS AD EA BF HD
Niagara Falls 461 (742) Niagara Falls December 6, 2016[6] Bus interchange NFTA Bus: 52
Buffalo 437 (703) Buffalo–Exchange Street November 8, 2020[7] Tram interchange NFTA: Metro Rail (at Erie Canal Harbor station)
Bus interchange NFTA Bus: 14, 16, 42, 74
Amtrak Amtrak Thruway to Jamestown
Depew 431 (694) Buffalo–Depew October 28, 1979[8] Bus interchange NFTA Bus: 46
Rochester 370 (600) Louise M. Slaughter
Rochester Station
October 6, 2017[9] Bus interchange RTS: 37, 41
Syracuse New York State Fair August 22, 2002[10] (seasonal)
291 (468) William F. Walsh
Regional Transportation Center
August 1998[6] Bus interchange CENTRO: 16, 48, 50, 60, 62, 70, 82, 236, 246, 250
Rome 250 (400) Rome 1914[6] Bus interchange CENTRO of Oneida: 4, 7
Utica 237 (381) Utica Union Station May 24, 1914[6] Heritage railway Adirondack Scenic Railroad to Thendara
Bus interchange CENTRO of Oneida: 12
Bus interchange Birnie Bus Services, Adirondack Trailways, Chenango Valley Bus Company, Greyhound Lines Greyhound Lines
Amsterdam 177 (285) Amsterdam 1973[6]
Schenectady 159 (256) Schenectady October 17, 2018[11] Bus interchange CDTA: 351, 353, 354, 355, 370, 763, 905 BusPlus
Rensselaer 141 (227) Albany–Rensselaer September 22, 2002[12] Bus interchange CDTA: NX Northway Express, 114, 214
Hudson 114 (183) Hudson 1874[6] Bus interchange Columbia County Public Transportation: Hudson–Albany Shuttle
Rhinecliff 100 (160) Rhinecliff 1914[6]
Poughkeepsie 80 (130) Poughkeepsie February 18, 1918[13] Bus interchange Dutchess County Public Transit: A, B, C, D, E, H, J, K, L, RailLink; UCAT: KPL, UPL
New Hamburg 71.5 (115.1) New Hamburg October 17, 1981[14] Bus interchange Dutchess County Public Transit: RailLink
Beacon 65.5 (105.4) Beacon 1915[15] Bus interchange Dutchess County Public Transit: B, G; Leprechaun Lines: Newburgh-Beacon Shuttle
ferry/water interchange Newburgh–Beacon Ferry
Cold Spring 61.5 (99.0) Breakneck Ridge
59 (95) Cold Spring 1893 Bus interchange Putnam Transit: Cold Spring Trolley
Garrison 56.4 (90.8) Garrison 1892
52.5 (84.5) Manitou 1983[16]
Peekskill 47.7 (76.8) Peekskill 1874 Bus interchange Bee-Line Bus: 16, 18, 31
Montrose 44.9 (72.3) Cortlandt 1996[17] Bus interchange Bee-Line Bus: 14
Croton-on-Hudson 39.7 (63.9) Croton–Harmon 1988[6] Bus interchange Bee-Line Bus: 10, 11, 14
Ossining 37.3 (60.0) Ossining 1914 Bus interchange Bee-Line Bus: 13, 13B, 19
ferry/water interchange Haverstraw–Ossining Ferry
Briarcliff Manor 36 (58) Scarborough 1851
Sleepy Hollow 33 (53) Philipse Manor January 30, 1911[18]
Tarrytown 31.7 (51.0) Tarrytown 1925[19] Bus interchange Hudson Link: H07, H07X; Bee-Line Bus: 1T, 13, T
Irvington 29.2 (47.0) Irvington 1889
28.2 (45.4) Ardsley-on-Hudson c. 1896
Dobbs Ferry 27.2 (43.8) Dobbs Ferry 1899 Bus interchange Bee-Line Bus: 1, 6
Hastings-on-Hudson 26 (42) Hastings-on-Hudson 1910 Bus interchange Bee-Line Bus: 6, 1C, 1T, & 1W
Yonkers 24.3 (39.1) Greystone 1899 Bus interchange Bee-Line Bus: 6, 1C, 1T, & 1W
22.7 (36.5) Glenwood Bus interchange Bee-Line Bus: 1C, 1T, & 1W
21.6 (34.8) Yonkers 1911[6] Bus interchange Bee-Line Bus: 6, 9, 25, 32, 91 (seasonal)
20.8 (33.5) Ludlow Bus interchange Bee-Line Bus: 32
The Bronx 19.5 (31.4) Riverdale Bus interchange Hudson Rail Link: A, B, C, D
New York 0 (0) Penn Station 1968[6] Amtrak Amtrak (long-distance): Acela, Adirondack, Cardinal, Crescent, Lake Shore Limited, Palmetto, Pennsylvanian, Silver Meteor, Silver Star
Amtrak Amtrak (intercity): Carolinian, Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Keystone Service, Maple Leaf, Northeast Regional, Vermonter
LIRR:  Main Line,  Port Washington Branch
NJ Transit NJ Transit:  North Jersey Coast Line,  Northeast Corridor Line,  Gladstone Branch,  Montclair-Boonton Line,  Morristown Line
NYC Subway: "1" train"2" train"3" train"A" train"C" train"E" train
Port Authority Trans-Hudson PATH: HOB-33 JSQ-33 JSQ-33 (via HOB)
Bus interchange NYC Transit buses: M7, M20, M34 SBS, M34A SBS, Q32, SIM23, SIM24

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ John Lienhard. "Rain, Steam & Speed: Inventing Powered Motion". Archived from the original on July 20, 2006. Retrieved January 28, 2007.
  2. ^ "GREAT SPEED Off THE CENTRAL.; Empire State Express Engine Travels at the Rate of 112 1-2 Miles an Hour" (PDF). The New York Times. May 12, 1893. Retrieved December 13, 2007.
  3. ^ Amtrak system timetable, Fall 2010/Winter 2011, page 25
  4. ^ "Amtrak to lease Empire Corridor trackage from CSX". Trains Magazine. October 18, 2011. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
  5. ^ "Governor Cuomo Announces Hudson Rail Lease - Amtrak/CSX Deal Will Improve Passenger Service, Move Projects Forward" (PDF) (Press release). Albany, New York: Amtrak. December 4, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2012.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Building Great American Stations". Amtrak. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  7. ^ Prohaska, Thomas J. (November 8, 2020). "New Amtrak Station Opens Downtown handling Curtailed Runs Amid Pandemic". The Buffalo News. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  8. ^ "New Buffalo Station". Amtrak News. 6 (12): 6–7. November 1979. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  9. ^ Manon, Tianna (October 6, 2017). "Rochester's new train station is open for business". www.wxxinews.org. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  10. ^ Lankes, Tiffany (September 2, 2002). "State Fair attendance drops, vendors suffer sales losses". The Daily Orange. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  11. ^ "Governor Cuomo Announces Grand Opening of Schenectady Train Station". Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. October 17, 2018. Archived from the original on November 3, 2018. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  12. ^ Woodruff, Cathy (February 14, 2010). "Train Late? Old Stations Derail New Track". Albany Times Union. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
  13. ^ Howe, Patricia; Katherine Moore (February 25, 1976). "National Register of Historic Places nomination, Poughkeepsie Railroad station". Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2008.
  14. ^ "New Rail Car to Arrive at New Hamburg Stop". The Poughkeepsie Journal. October 16, 1981. Retrieved December 30, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  15. ^ Ken Kinlock. "Railroad at Fishkill Landing NY First Phase". Archived from the original on January 4, 2017. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  16. ^ "New York Division Bulletin". Electric Railroaders' Association. July 1993. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  17. ^ Transportation Research Record. Transportation Research Board, Commission on Sociotechnical Systems, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences. 1999. ISBN 9780309071031.
  18. ^ "Philipse Manor". The New York Times. February 5, 1911. p. 71. Retrieved December 27, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  19. ^ "Big Apartment for Suburb". The New York Times. October 11, 1925. Retrieved May 18, 2008.

External links[edit]

43°9′47.6″N 77°36′28.9″W / 43.163222°N 77.608028°W / 43.163222; -77.608028