| Adirondack | |
|---|---|
Adirondack train #69 at Saratoga Springs station. |
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| Overview | |
| Service type | Inter-city rail |
| Predecessor | Laurentian (D&H) |
| First service | August 5, 1974 |
| Current operator(s) | Amtrak |
| Average ridership | 325 daily 118,673 total (FY10)[1] |
| Route | |
| Start | New York |
| End | Montreal, Quebec |
| Distance travelled | 381 miles (613 km) |
| Average journey time | 11 hours |
| Service frequency | Daily |
| Train number(s) | 68, 69 |
| On-board services | |
| Class(es) | Reserved coach |
| Catering facilities | Cafe/Lounge car |
| Technical | |
| Rolling stock | Amfleet coaches |
| Gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
| Track owner(s) | MNCR, CSXT, CP/D&H, and CN |
The Adirondack is a passenger train operated daily by Amtrak between New York City and Montreal. The trip takes approximately 11 hours to cover a published distance of 381 miles (613 km), traveling through the scenic Hudson Valley and the Adirondack Mountains.[2] The Adirondack operates as train 68 towards New York, and as 69 from New York to Montreal.
The Adirondack service is financed by the New York State Department of Transportation. The Adirondack service suffers from numerous delays along the route because almost none of the trackage is owned by Amtrak, and also because the route crosses an international boundary. The on-time performance of the route averaged 62.7% for the year ending February 2009. According to Amtrak, 47.4% of the train delay was due to track- and signal-related problems, especially along the Delaware & Hudson (CP Rail) segment.[3]
During fiscal year 2010, the Adirondack carried a total of 118,673 passengers, a 13.4% increase from FY 2009's total of 104,681 passengers.[1] The train had a total revenue of $6,058,894 during FY 2010, an increase of 14% from a total of $5,312,772 during FY 2009.[1]
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At the inception of Amtrak in 1971 the Delaware & Hudson operated two trains between Albany, New York and Montreal: the Montreal Limited (overnight) and the Laurentian (day). Both trains were discontinued, and for three years the D&H line saw no service. The Adirondack began running on August 5, 1974, from Grand Central Terminal in New York to Albany, then over the D&H's line to Windsor Station in Montreal. From the outset the train operated with financial support from the state of New York.[4]
The Adirondack operates over Canadian National Railway, Canadian Pacific Railway, CSX Transportation, Metro-North Railroad, and Amtrak rails:
Note: From 1974 to 1986, the Adirondack used CP Rail's Windsor Station. Until the Empire Connection was built in 1991, the train serviced Grand Central Terminal instead of Penn Station in New York City.
| State/Province | Town/City | Station | Connections/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quebec | Montreal | Gare Centrale | AMT: Deux-Montagnes Line, Mont-Saint-Hilaire Line STM: 36, 61, 74, 75, 168, Orange Metro line Via Rail: Montreal – Gaspé train, Corridor, Ocean, Montreal – Jonquière train, Montreal – Senneterre train |
| Saint-Lambert | Saint-Lambert | AMT: Mont-Saint-Hilaire Line RTL: 1, 6, 55, 106 Via Rail: Corridor, Ocean, Montreal – Gaspé train |
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| New York | Rouses Point | Rouses Point | none |
| Plattsburgh | Plattsburgh | ||
| Port Kent | Port Kent | Lake Champlain Transportation: seasonal ferry service to Burlington, Vermont. Train stops only on days ferry operates. | |
| Westport | Westport | none | |
| Port Henry | Port Henry | ||
| Ticonderoga | Fort Ticonderoga | The Ticonderoga Ferry: seasonal ferry service to Shoreham, Vermont | |
| Whitehall | Whitehall | none | |
| Fort Edward | Fort Edward-Glens Falls | Amtrak: Ethan Allen Express GGFT: 4, Train-Catcher Service |
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| Saratoga Springs | Saratoga Springs | Amtrak: Ethan Allen Express CDTA: NX Northway Xpress, 471, 472, 474 |
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| Schenectady | Schenectady | Amtrak: Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Lake Shore Limited, Maple Leaf | |
| Rensselaer | Albany-Rensselaer | Amtrak: Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Lake Shore Limited, Maple Leaf CDTA: NX Northway Express, 14, 15, 24 |
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| Hudson | Hudson | Amtrak: Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Maple Leaf | |
| Rhinecliff | Rhinecliff-Kingston | Amtrak: Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Maple Leaf | |
| Poughkeepsie | Poughkeepsie | Amtrak: Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Maple Leaf Dutchess LOOP: A, B, C, D, E, Poughkeepsie RailLink City of Poughkeepsie Transit: Main Street, Shoppers' Special UCAT Ulster-Poughkeepsie LINK Metro-North Railroad: Hudson Line |
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| Croton-on-Hudson | Croton–Harmon | Amtrak: Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Lake Shore Limited, Maple Leaf Bee-Line: 10, 11, 14 Metro-North Railroad: Hudson Line |
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| Yonkers | Yonkers | Amtrak: Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Maple Leaf Bee-Line: 6, 9, 25, 32, 91 (seasonal service) Metro-North Railroad: Hudson Line |
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| New York City | Penn Station | Amtrak: Acela Express, Cardinal, Carolinian, Crescent, Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Keystone Service, Lake Shore Limited, Maple Leaf, Northeast Regional, Palmetto, Pennsylvanian, Silver Meteor, Silver Star, Vermonter LIRR: Main Line, Port Washington Branch NJ Transit: North Jersey Coast Line, Northeast Corridor Line, Gladstone Branch, Montclair-Boonton Line, Morristown Line NYC Subway: 1 2 3 A C E trains NYC Transit buses: M4, M7, M20, M34 / M34A Select Bus Service, Q32 |
The Adirondack operates year-round with General Electric P42DC and P32AC-DM units and Amfleet passenger cars. A typical consist will include:
The Adirondack, unlike other Empire Service trains and the Maple Leaf, does not offer business class seating.[2]
There is a proposal for a Montreal—New York City high-speed train. On October 6, 2005, the Albany Times-Union reported that New York Governor George Pataki and Quebec Premier Jean Charest "called for the creation of high-speed rail service between Montreal and New York City as a way to boost the regional economy during the third Quebec-New York Economic Summit [on October 4]". Little progress seems to have been made since then, and the Federal Railroad Administration has instead preferred a link between Montreal and Boston, despite the fact that independent ridership analyses have suggested that the New York state route would be much more promising.[5]
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