Albany, here we come!
The MTA’s suburban commuter rail, Metro-North Railroad, will soon go from Grand Central Terminal to Albany some 150 miles north, Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Monday. It will mark a historic return of service to the state’s capital region for the first time in nearly 60 years.
Metro-North’s predecessor on the Hudson Line, the New York Central Railroad, previously ran service between Grand Central and Albany until 1967. The restored, once-a-day round-trip service will launch in the spring of 2026.
Hochul said the planned service is part of a series of improvements to rail service on the Empire Service Corridor, a rail corridor which mostly follows the Hudson River, between Albany and NYC.
While the service will compete with federally owned Amtrak, which offers Albany to Penn Station travel, both rail systems worked together to secure the upcoming service. The planned schedule will fill in gaps left by Amtrak service that was suspended earlier this year so that work can be done on East River Tunnels.
It features a Grand Central to Albany train departing at mid-morning and a Albany-Rensselaer to Grand Central train departing in the afternoon, arriving at Grand Central in time for evening events in NYC.
“Restoring Amtrak service and debuting Metro-North service to Albany is a huge win for riders. The Empire Service is vital to communities along the Hudson River,” Hochul said “While Amtrak’s repairs to the East River Tunnels are necessary, riders from Albany to New York City have had to endure sold out trains and higher fares for the past five months. I’ve been clear from the moment this plan was proposed that New Yorkers deserve better. This new plan will provide more travel options and lower fares for over two million annual riders, saving them time and putting money back in their pockets.”
Metro-North and Amtrak coordinated on a fare cap of $99 on coach seats on all Empire Service trains. To provide additional affordable fares, Metro-North fares are anticipated to be competitive with the low end of existing Amtrak fares between Albany and NYC.
Amtrak will also restore one daily round-trip previously suspended between New York City and Albany on Dec. 1.
“New York State residents and visitors’ passion and patience are paying off, as additional, affordable, and improved train service between New York City and Albany is on its way,” Roger Harris, president of Amtrak, said. “Thanks to Governor Hochul for her leadership and commitment to New York State, and NYS Department of Transportation and MTA for their partnership in helping meet the high demand of train service we have throughout the state.”
The upcoming service is the latest news in improvements to Metro-North.
In October, Hochul and the MTA launched super-express service on the Hudson Line between Poughkeepsie and Grand Central, with trips taking less than 90 minutes. In September, the MTA debuted the first new Siemens Charger locomotives on the Hudson line, which will bring more horsepower, improved reliability, and reduced emissions to the railroad
