Empire Corridor upgrades

[JamesWhitcombRiley]

One has to poke around the FEIS to see if they say anything about proposed track layouts. They certainly have a lot of details about possible timetables that have been used for simulations to validate each alternative.

https://www.dot.ny.gov/empire-corridor/feis

Appendix A has the layouts for the five alternatives, the first of which seems to be no-build. Track speeds and turnout numbers (20, etc.) are included. This document is a Tier I EIS, and I think an alternative is chosen for a Tier II.

 

[George Harris]

Appendix A has the layouts for the five alternatives, the first of which seems to be no-build. Track speeds and turnout numbers (20, etc.) are included. This document is a Tier I EIS, and I think an alternative is chosen for a Tier II.

All EIS reports are supposed to have a "No build" alternative which is to be used as a basis to justify the need to do something.

 

[Metra Electric Rider]

Would a third dedicated track with passing loops be sufficient? It's not a huge amount of service over a longish distance?

 

[jis]

Would a third dedicated track with passing loops be sufficient? It's not a huge amount of service over a longish distance?

I believe the current alternative selected has just a third track not 4 tracks.

 

[danasgoodstuff]

No they’re just trying not be wasteful with the funds they have. Route 5 was built on several section of the NYC right of way. Amsterdam was one of these area. To fit a station towards the downtown will require a bit of work. The thinking seem, you might as well do it for a two passenger-only track and station project. This will give options for future growth and not require a massive amount to address any capacity. Amsterdam has some space on the west side, I am not sure what “downtown” is defined for them. Not sure if the Mayor could tell you either. I would put the station between Route 30 and the current station. Relocation of Route 5, and taken out a mostly abandoned strip of industrial area. This location would be on the edge of downtown (or what I define it as.) and easy walking. Of course getting to the retail area of Amsterdam would require a bus, or car to do so. There all up the steep hill north of the train tracks on route 30.

I'd put it on Front St. and then no relocation, just improve the street and build a parking lot, either use existing buildings or a new one.

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

I'd put it on Front St. and then no relocation, just improve the street and build a parking lot, either use existing buildings or a new one.

https://www.esparail.org/resources/...rak)-,New Rail Stations,-Among several medium
The below is from the ESPA website. There are of course the NYS promotion group.
Amsterdam

In May 2018 the City of Amsterdam released the results of a feasibility study it funded of consolidating the various highway bypasses and onramps downtown to free up land that could be used to build railroad passenger platforms and a mixed-use multimodal station building — which would include retail space, coffee shop, a newsstand and a Taste of New York location. The station would be adjacent to the recently opened Mohawk Valley Gateway Overlook Pedestrian Bridge that connects downtown with the southside of the city across the Mohawk River. The new intermodal station would replace the current small unstaffed Amtrak station on the city’s westside, a small one-story brick building containing a small, air-conditioned waiting room and restrooms.

Costs associated with the estimated $34 million station project include: $1 million for property acquisition, $5 million for the removal of the eastbound section of Route 5 and road improvements, $20 million for multimodal center and platforms, and $8 million for design and contingency expenses. Cost estimates do not include demolition of the Riverfront Center. The next step is to finalize plans for the multimodal center to allow for applying for state and federal grants to fund the project. The long delay in the release of the final Empire Corridor High Speed Rail EIS study could be seen as an obstacle, as how can you build a new station before knowing what the future track configuration will be? However, the new station design could be future proofed by being built with a off the mainline island platform, that in a future phase two would see its platform tracks incorporated into the through passenger-dedicated mainline tracks included in ALTs 90A, 90B, and 110.

 

[danasgoodstuff]

https://www.esparail.org/resources/...rak)-,New Rail Stations,-Among several medium
The below is from the ESPA website. There are of course the NYS promotion group.
Amsterdam

That's certainly ambitious, what are the chances of that actually getting done, including the dedicated passenger rail tracks?

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

That's certainly ambitious, what are the chances of that actually getting done, including the dedicated passenger rail tracks?

A lot of this is City of Amsterdam driven. They’re the ones rebuilding the area. The dedication passenger tracks is space commitment to for this for today and the future. Does not have to built today, but you have to commit the space in the master plan.
That why there is a phase one, and phase two.

I don’t see there a double track west of Amsterdam but from the station going east would give the dispatch an easy staging area for traffic to merge. The CSX line crosses the river a bit east of Amsterdam, which is where the Amtrak line starts. So moving the merge point to west of Amsterdam just strikes me as a no brainer.

Also the ESPA contains information from both the City and there thought on how to build this. So maybe it will be nothing like this when done. It’s just an idea at this time.

 

[jis]

Here is an article on the proposed Amsterdam station... agreement has been reached with CSX...

https://www.dailygazette.com/the_re...cle_35d28282-f2ba-11ee-aedd-ab8e628c36d1.html