Passenger train service resumed Monday on the route between New York and Montreal, Amtrak announced, restoring a scenic route shuttered when the U.S.-Canadian border was closed at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Adirondack train will run once per day in each direction between Penn Station and Quebec’s largest metropolis. Trains will leave Moynihan Train Hall at 8:41 a.m. and arrive at Montreal Central Station at 8:16 p.m. the same day, an 11.5-hour journey. In the other direction, trains will depart Montreal at 11:10 a.m. and chug into Penn Station at 10:15 p.m.
The lengthy timeframe is considerably longer than traveling by car or even by bus, and is also longer than the trip pre-pandemic. But it’s worth it for the magnificent views offered of the upstate landscape, transportation honchos say, including the Hudson Valley and the Adirondack Mountains alongside lakes George and Champlain.
“The cultural riches and natural beauty along the Adirondack train route amount to an experience that is unlike anything else in the world,” said state Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez in a statement. “And it highlights the importance of this service — making it easy and fun for travelers to be able to enjoy the unique treasures of the Empire State.”
A round-trip ticket costs $140, significantly more affordable than flying. The Adirondack will make 17 stops along the roughly 400-mile route between the two major cities, including in Albany, Saratoga Springs, and Plattsburgh.
The route was one of Amtrak’s last to be reopened after the pandemic-era halt. On Twitter, North Country GOP Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, one of the top Republicans on Capitol Hill, claimed that Amtrak announced it would reopen the line just a day after she called the railroad’s president to register grievances.
“When Amtrak dragged its feet to include the North Country in its reopening plans, I brought #NY21’s concerns to the highest levels,” said Stefanik. “One day after my call with Amtrak’s President, it announced the Adirondack Line would resume April 3.”
Travelers should bring identification documents like passports, as the train must travel through customs before crossing the border.
