Empire Service (Amtrak)
The Empire Service is a train service operated by Amtrak within the state of New York in the United States. Trains on the line provide frequent daily service along the 460-mile (740 km) Empire Corridor between New York City and Niagara Falls, New York. Service on the line is supplemented by Metro-North, a commuter train network operating across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, until Poughkeepsie station.
History
The route was formerly the Water Level Route of the New York Central Railroad to Buffalo and then the former Buffalo and Niagara Falls Railroad. One train, known as the Maple Leaf, continues beyond Niagara Falls to Toronto.
Route details
The Empire Service operates over CSX Transportation, Metro-North Railroad, and Amtrak trackage:
- CSX Niagara Subdivision, Buffalo Terminal Subdivision, Rochester Subdivision, Mohawk Subdivision, Selkirk Subdivision, and Hudson Subdivision, Niagara Falls to Poughkeepsie (Amtrak-owned between Hoffmans and Schenectady)
- MNRR Hudson Line, Poughkeepsie to Spuyten Duyvil
- Amtrak Empire Connection, Spuyten Duyvil to Penn Station
Station stops
Eastbound Empire Service trains receive even numbers between 238 and 288; westbound trains are numbered between 251 and 287. Many trains only run between New York and Albany. The following station stops are made:
- Niagara Falls
- Buffalo-Exchange Street
- Buffalo-Depew
- Rochester
- Syracuse
- Rome
- Utica
- Amsterdam
- Schenectady
- Albany-Rensselaer
- Hudson
- Rhinecliff-Kingston
- Poughkeepsie
- Croton-Harmon
- Yonkers
- New York Penn Station
High Speed Rail
The Empire Service has been a long standing candidate for high speed rail. The need for high speed rail service has been addressed by Governer George Pataki and Majority Senate Leader Joseph Bruno. Other politicians have asked that high speed rail be introduced along the Empire Corridor, diminishing the time for New York City - Buffalo trains from seven hours to just three hours; train travel from New York City to Albany would take less than two hours to complete. This may introduce Acela trains to the Empire Corridor if high speed rail is successful enough. Another reason which politicians are noting is that high speed trains may help improve upstate New York's economy, which is currently stagnant.
