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Empire Corridor

{{Short description|Federally designated high-speed rail corridor in the U.S. state of New York}}

{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2023}}

{{Infobox rail line

| box_width =

| name = Empire Corridor

| other_name =

| color =

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| image = corridor ne.PNG

| image_width = 300px

| image_alt =

| caption = Empire Corridor (red) as designated by the Federal Railroad Administration

| type = Higher-speed rail, commuter rail

| system = Amtrak
CSX Transportation

| status =

| locale =

| start = Niagara Falls

| end = New York Penn Station

| stations = 35 (12 Amtrak, 20 Metro North, 3 shared)

| routes = Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Adirondack, Lake Shore Limited, Maple Leaf, Berkshire Flyer, Hudson Line

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| owner = CSX (Niagara–Poughkeepsie)
Metro-North (Poughkeepsie–Riverdale)
Amtrak (Riverdale–New York)

| operator = CSX (Niagara–Schenectady)
Amtrak (Schenectady–Poughkeepsie)
Metro-North (Poughkeepsie–Yonkers)
Amtrak (Yonkers–New York)

| character =

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| linelength_mi = 461

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| gauge = {{Track gauge|ussg|allk=on}}

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| map = {{Empire Corridor}}

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}}

The Empire Corridor is a {{convert|461|mi|km|adj=on}} passenger rail corridor in New York State running between Penn Station in New York City and {{amtk|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 {{amtk|Toronto}}. The Lake Shore Limited follows most of the corridor from New York City, diverging west to Chicago at the Buffalo–Depew station. The Berkshire Flyer takes the corridor to {{amtk|Albany–Rensselaer}}, before diverging east to {{amtk|Pittsfield}}, while the Adirondack and Ethan Allen Express travel one stop further to {{amtk|Schenectady}}, before diverging north to {{amtk|Montreal}} and {{amtk|Burlington||Ethan Allen Express}}, respectively. Metro-North Railroad's Hudson Line merges with the Empire Corridor in Spuyten Duyvil, Bronx, just south of {{mnrr|Riverdale}}, providing commuter rail service between Poughkeepsie, New York and Grand Central Terminal in New York City.

The line is electrified by both overhead catenary and top-running third rail on the Amtrak-owned segment between Penn Station and 41st Street, as well as by under-running third rail on the Metro-North segment, from the merge with the Hudson Line to {{mnrr|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 to be built on the corridor, trains traveling between Buffalo and New York City could travel at speeds of up to {{convert|125|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}. 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 {{convert|436|mi|km}} between New York City and Buffalo in 7 hours and 6 minutes (including stops), averaging {{convert|61.4|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}, with a top speed of {{convert|82|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}.{{cite web| url=http://www.kuhf.org/cdprojects/steam/track12.html| title=Rain, Steam & Speed: Inventing Powered Motion| author=John Lienhard| access-date=January 28, 2007| archive-date=July 20, 2006| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060720104213/http://www.kuhf.org/cdprojects/steam/track12.html| url-status=dead}}{{cite news| url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1893/05/12/106864316.pdf| title=GREAT SPEED Off THE CENTRAL.; Empire State Express Engine Travels at the Rate of 112 1-2 Miles an Hour| work=The New York Times| date=May 12, 1893| access-date=December 13, 2007}}

Ownership

The Empire Corridor is largely owned by CSX Transportation (CSX), which owns most of the trackage between Niagara Falls and Poughkeepsie.Amtrak system timetable, Fall 2010/Winter 2011, page 25 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.{{cite web|title=Amtrak to lease Empire Corridor trackage from CSX|url=http://trn.trains.com/en/Railroad%20News/News%20Wire/2011/10/Amtrak%20to%20lease%20Empire%20Corridor%20trackage%20from%20CSX.aspx|publisher=Trains Magazine|access-date=October 19, 2011|date=October 18, 2011}} Amtrak officially assumed control of the line on December 1, 2012.{{cite press release |title=Governor Cuomo Announces Hudson Rail Lease - Amtrak/CSX Deal Will Improve Passenger Service, Move Projects Forward|date=December 4, 2012|publisher=Amtrak|location=Albany, New York|url=http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/13/26/Amtrak-CSX-Hudson-Line-Release-ATK-12-126.pdf|access-date=December 5, 2012}} Later, Amtrak bought the segment between Schenectady and Hoffmans from CSX.

Current services

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

=Amtrak=

File:Southbound Amtrak Train, Riverdale, Bronx, NY.jpg. Looking south from 254th street bridge, Riverdale, Bronx, NY]]

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

  • Empire Service: local service along the entire corridor from New York City to {{amtk|Niagara Falls, NY}}. Most trains operate along the southern segment between New York and {{amtk|Albany}}, with three trains in each direction continuing west to Niagara Falls daily.
  • Maple Leaf: daily service from New York City to {{amtk|Toronto}}, operating on the entire corridor.
  • Lake Shore Limited: daily service from New York City to {{amtk|Chicago}}, splitting from the corridor at {{amtk|Buffalo–Depew}}. A section of this train splits-off at Albany–Rensselaer to serve Boston.
  • Adirondack: daily service from New York City to {{amtk|Montreal}}, splitting from the corridor in Schenectady.
  • Ethan Allen Express: daily service from New York City to {{amtk|Burlington||Ethan Allen Express}}, splitting from the corridor in Schenectady.
  • Berkshire Flyer: weekly summer service between New York City and {{amtk|Pittsfield}}, reversing direction and splitting from the corridor at Albany–Rensselaer.

=Commuter rail=

=Freight service=

Freight service is provided by CSX Transportation.

Stations

All stations are in the state of New York.

class="wikitable sortable"

! rowspan="2" |Location

!rowspan=2 nowrap=yes|Mile (km)

!rowspan=2|Station

!rowspan=2|Current station
opened

!colspan=7 class=unsortable|Corridor services

!rowspan=2 class=unsortable|Connections

class=unsortable|ES

!class=unsortable|ML

!class=unsortable|LS

!class=unsortable|AD

!class=unsortable|EA

!class=unsortable|BF

!class=unsortable|HD

Niagara Falls

|{{convert|461|mi|km|abbr=values}}

|Niagara Falls

|December 6, 2016{{cite web |url=https://www.greatamericanstations.com/stations/ |title=Building Great American Stations |publisher=Amtrak |access-date=September 21, 2019}}

|●

●|{{rint|bus|1}} NFTA Bus: 52
Buffalo

|{{convert|437|mi|km|abbr=values}}

|{{amtk|Buffalo–Exchange Street}}

| November 8, 2020{{cite news |last1=Prohaska |first1=Thomas J. |title=New Amtrak Station Opens Downtown handling Curtailed Runs Amid Pandemic |url=https://buffalonews.com/news/local/new-amtrak-station-opens-downtown-handling-curtailed-runs-amid-pandemic/article_d33d7dee-21f1-11eb-a049-afa725fae81c.html |access-date=November 8, 2020 |work=The Buffalo News |date=November 8, 2020}}

|●

●|{{rint|tram|1}} NFTA: {{rcb|NFTA|Metro Rail|inline=route}} (at Canalside station)
{{rint|bus|1}} NFTA Bus: 14, 16, 42, 74
{{rint|us|amtrakbus}} Amtrak Thruway to Jamestown
Depew

|{{convert|431|mi|km|abbr=values}}

|{{amtk|Buffalo–Depew}}

|October 28, 1979{{cite journal | title=New Buffalo Station | journal=Amtrak News | volume=6 | number=12 |date=November 1979 | url=http://history.amtrak.com/archives/amtrak-news-november-1979 | pages=6–7 | access-date=August 9, 2013}}

|●

●●|{{rint|bus|1}} NFTA Bus: 46
Rochester

|{{convert|370|mi|km|abbr=values}}

|Louise M. Slaughter
Rochester Station

|October 6, 2017{{cite web|url=https://www.wxxinews.org/post/rochesters-new-train-station-open-business|title=Rochester's new train station is open for business|first=Tianna|last=Manon|website=www.wxxinews.org| date=October 6, 2017 |access-date=August 21, 2019}}

|●

●●|{{rint|bus|1}} RTS: 37, 41
rowspan="2" |Syracuse

|

|{{amtk|New York State Fair}}

|August 22, 2002{{cite news |url=http://dailyorange.com/2002/09/state-fair-attendence-drops-vendors-suffer-sales-losses/ |title=State Fair attendance drops, vendors suffer sales losses |date=September 2, 2002 |newspaper=The Daily Orange |first=Tiffany |last=Lankes |access-date=May 16, 2016}}

|●

●| (seasonal)
{{convert|291|mi|km|abbr=values}}

|William F. Walsh
Regional Transportation Center

|August 1998

|●

●●|{{rint|bus|1}} CENTRO: 16, 48, 50, 60, 62, 70, 82, 236, 246, 250
Rome

|{{convert|250|mi|km|abbr=values}}

|{{amtk|Rome}}

|1914

|●

●|{{rint|bus|1}} CENTRO of Oneida: 4, 7
Utica

|{{convert|237|mi|km|abbr=values}}

|Utica Union Station

|May 24, 1914

|●

●●|{{rint|heritage|rail}} Adirondack Scenic Railroad to Thendara
{{rint|bus|1}} CENTRO of Oneida: 12
{{rint|bus}} Birnie Bus Services, Adirondack Trailways, Chenango Valley Bus Company, {{rint|us|greyhound}} Greyhound Lines
Amsterdam

|{{convert|177|mi|km|abbr=values}}

|{{amtk|Amsterdam}}

|1973

|●

●|
Schenectady

|{{convert|159|mi|km|abbr=values}}

|{{amtk|Schenectady}}

|October 17, 2018{{Cite news|url=https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-announces-grand-opening-schenectady-train-station|title=Governor Cuomo Announces Grand Opening of Schenectady Train Station|date=October 17, 2018|work=Governor Andrew M. Cuomo|access-date=November 2, 2018|language=en|archive-date=November 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181103091850/https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-announces-grand-opening-schenectady-train-station|url-status=dead}}

|●

●●●●|{{rint|bus|1}} CDTA: 353, 354, 355, 370, 602, 605, 763, 905 BusPlus
Rensselaer

|{{convert|141|mi|km|abbr=values}}

|{{amtk|Albany}}

|September 22, 2002{{cite news |title=Train Late? Old Stations Derail New Track|first=Cathy|last=Woodruff|url=http://blog.timesunion.com/advocate/train-late-old-stations-derail-new-track/2183/|newspaper=Albany Times Union|date=February 14, 2010|access-date=March 5, 2010}}

|●

●●●●●|{{rint|bus|1}} CDTA: 114, 214
{{rint|bus}} Vermont Translines
Hudson

|{{convert|114|mi|km|abbr=values}}

|{{amtk|Hudson}}

|1874

|●

●●●●|{{rint|bus|1}} Columbia County Public Transportation: Hudson–Albany Shuttle
Rhinecliff

|{{convert|100|mi|km|abbr=values}}

|{{amtk|Rhinecliff}}

|1914

|●

●●●●●|
Poughkeepsie

|{{convert|80|mi|km|abbr=values}}

|{{mnrr|Poughkeepsie}}

|February 18, 1918{{cite web|last=Howe|first=Patricia|author2=Katherine Moore|title=National Register of Historic Places nomination, Poughkeepsie Railroad station|url=http://www.oprhp.state.ny.us/hpimaging/hp_view.asp?GroupView=1951|date=February 25, 1976|access-date=January 19, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724052359/http://www.oprhp.state.ny.us/hpimaging/hp_view.asp?GroupView=1951|archive-date=July 24, 2011}}

|●

●●●●●●

|{{rint|bus|1}} Dutchess County Public Transit: A, B, C, D, E, H, J, K, L, RailLink; UCAT: KPL, UPL

New Hamburg

|{{convert|71.5|mi|km|abbr=values}}

|{{mnrr|New Hamburg}}

|October 17, 1981{{cite news|title=New Rail Car to Arrive at New Hamburg Stop|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/16123793/new_hamburg_station_october_15_1981/|access-date=December 30, 2017|work=The Poughkeepsie Journal|date=October 16, 1981|via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}

|

●

|{{rint|bus|1}} Dutchess County Public Transit: RailLink

Beacon

|{{nowrap|{{convert|65.5|mi|km|abbr=values}}}}

|{{mnrr|Beacon}}

|1915{{cite web|url=http://www.kinglyheirs.com/CNE/NYCFishkillStart.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104004849/http://www.kinglyheirs.com/CNE/NYCFishkillStart.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 4, 2017|title=Railroad at Fishkill Landing NY First Phase|author=Ken Kinlock|access-date=April 25, 2016}}

|

●

|{{rint|bus|1}} Dutchess County Public Transit: B, G; Leprechaun Lines: Newburgh-Beacon Shuttle
{{rint|ferry}} Newburgh–Beacon Ferry

rowspan="2" |Cold Spring

|{{convert|61.5|mi|km|abbr=values}}

|{{mnrr|Breakneck Ridge}}

|

|

●

|

{{convert|59|mi|km|abbr=values}}

|{{mnrr|Cold Spring}}

|1893

|

●

|{{rint|bus|1}} Putnam Transit: Cold Spring Trolley

rowspan="2" |Garrison

|{{convert|56.4|mi|km|abbr=values}}

|{{mnrr|Garrison}}

|1892

|

●

|

{{convert|52.5|mi|km|abbr=values}}

|{{mnrr|Manitou}}

|1983{{Cite web|title=New York Division Bulletin|date=July 1993|publisher=Electric Railroaders' Association}}

|

●

|

Peekskill

|{{convert|47.7|mi|km|abbr=values}}

|{{mnrr|Peekskill}}

|1874

|

●

|{{rint|bus|1}} Bee-Line Bus: 16, 18, 31

Montrose

|{{convert|44.9|mi|km|abbr=values}}

|{{mnrr|Cortlandt}}

|1996{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OSdSAAAAMAAJ&q=JUNE+1996|title=Transportation Research Record|date=1999|publisher=Transportation Research Board, Commission on Sociotechnical Systems, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences|isbn=9780309071031|language=en}}

|

●

|{{rint|bus|1}} Bee-Line Bus: 14

Croton-on-Hudson

|{{convert|39.7|mi|km|abbr=values}}

|{{mnrr|Croton–Harmon}}

|1988

| ●

●●●●●●

|{{rint|bus|1}} Bee-Line Bus: 10, 11, 14

Ossining

|{{convert|37.3|mi|km|abbr=values}}

|{{mnrr|Ossining}}

|1914

|

●

|{{rint|bus|1}} Bee-Line Bus: 13, 13B, 19
{{rint|ferry}} Haverstraw–Ossining Ferry

Briarcliff Manor

|{{convert|36|mi|km|abbr=values}}

|{{mnrr|Scarborough}}

|1851

|

●

|

Sleepy Hollow

|{{convert|33|mi|km|abbr=values}}

|{{mnrr|Philipse Manor}}

|January 30, 1911{{cite news|title=Philipse Manor|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/16050217/philipse_manor_station_february_5_1911/|access-date=December 27, 2017|work=The New York Times|date=February 5, 1911|page=71|via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}

|

●

|

Tarrytown

|{{convert|31.7|mi|km|abbr=values}}

|{{mnrr|Tarrytown}}

|1925{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1925/10/11/archives/big-apartment-for-suburb-tarrytown-to-have-1000000-building-new.html|title=Big Apartment for Suburb|date=October 11, 1925|work=The New York Times|access-date=May 18, 2008}}

|

●

|{{rint|bus|1}} Hudson Link: H07, H07X; Bee-Line Bus: 1T, 13, T

rowspan="2" |Irvington

|{{convert|29.2|mi|km|abbr=values}}

|{{mnrr|Irvington}}

|1889

|

●

|

{{convert|28.2|mi|km|abbr=values}}

|{{mnrr|Ardsley-on-Hudson}}

|{{circa|1896}}

|

●

|

Dobbs Ferry

|{{convert|27.2|mi|km|abbr=values}}

|{{mnrr|Dobbs Ferry}}

|1899

|

●

|{{rint|bus|1}} Bee-Line Bus: 1, 6

Hastings-on-Hudson

|{{convert|26|mi|km|abbr=values}}

|{{mnrr|Hastings-on-Hudson}}

|1910

|

●

|{{rint|bus|1}} Bee-Line Bus: 6, 1C, 1T, & 1W

rowspan="4" |Yonkers

|{{convert|24.3|mi|km|abbr=values}}

|{{mnrr|Greystone}}

|1899

|

●

|{{rint|bus|1}} Bee-Line Bus: 6, 1C, 1T, & 1W

{{convert|22.7|mi|km|abbr=values}}

|{{mnrr|Glenwood}}

|

|

●

|{{rint|bus|1}} Bee-Line Bus: 1C, 1T, & 1W

{{convert|21.6|mi|km|abbr=values}}

|{{mnrr|Yonkers}}

|1911

| ●

●●●●●

|{{rint|bus|1}} Bee-Line Bus: 6, 9, 25, 32, 91 (seasonal)

{{convert|20.8|mi|km|abbr=values}}

|{{mnrr|Ludlow}}

|

|

●

|{{rint|bus|1}} Bee-Line Bus: 32

The Bronx

|{{convert|19.5|mi|km|abbr=values}}

|{{mnrr|Riverdale}}

|

|

●

|{{rint|bus|1}} Hudson Rail Link: A, B, C, D

New York

|{{convert|0|mi|km|abbr=values}}

|Penn Station

|1968

| ●

●●●●●|{{rint|us|amtrak}} Amtrak (long-distance): {{lnl|Amtrak|Acela}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Adirondack}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Cardinal}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Crescent}}, Lake Shore Limited, {{lnl|Amtrak|Palmetto}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Pennsylvanian}}, Silver Meteor, {{lnl|Amtrak|Silver Star}}
{{rint|us|amtrak}} Amtrak (intercity): {{lnl|Amtrak|Carolinian}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Empire Service}}, Ethan Allen Express, Keystone Service, {{lnl|Amtrak|Maple Leaf}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Northeast Regional}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Vermonter}}
{{rint|newyork|lirr}} LIRR: {{rcb|LIRR|Main|inline=square}}, {{rcb|LIRR|Port Washington|inline=square}}
{{rint|njt}} NJ Transit: {{rcb|NJ Transit|North Jersey Coast|inline=square}}, {{rcb|NJ Transit|Northeast Corridor|inline=square}}, {{rcb|NJ Transit|Gladstone|inline=square}}, {{rcb|NJ Transit|Montclair-Boonton|inline=square}}, {{rcb|NJ Transit|Morristown|inline=square}}
{{rint|newyork|subway}} NYC Subway: {{NYCS Broadway-Seventh|time=bullets}}{{NYCS Eighth south|time=bullets}}
{{rint|path}} PATH: {{rcb|PATH|HOB-33|inline=route}} {{rcb|PATH|JSQ-33|inline=route}} {{rcb|PATH|JSQ-33 (via HOB)|inline=route}}
{{rint|bus|1}} NYC Transit buses: {{NYC bus link|M7|M20|M34 SBS|M34A SBS|Q32|SIM23|SIM24}}

See also

References

{{reflist}}

External links

{{Amtrak routes}}

{{High-speed rail in the United States}}

{{high-speed rail}}

{{Coord|43|9|47.6|N|77|36|28.9|W|display=title}}

Category:Rail infrastructure in New York (state)

Category:High-speed railway lines in the United States