| Rhinecliff–Kingston Amtrak station |
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View looking south down platforms from road overpass to former ferry landing. |
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| Station statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Address | Hutton and Charles Streets Rhinecliff, NY 12574 |
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| Lines | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1914 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rebuilt | 2011 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accessible | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Code | RHI | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owned by | Amtrak | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traffic | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Passengers (2010) | 158,534[1] 6.6% | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Rhinecliff–Kingston Amtrak station, commonly and formerly known as simply Rhinecliff, is located in Rhinebeck, New York and serves northern Dutchess County and the nearby Kingston area across the Hudson River. The station has one low-level island platform that serves two tracks. There is also an unused second platform, connected to the first via an overpass.
Rhinecliff station is somewhat popular with owners of weekend homes in the area as well as some commuters who prefer Amtrak's service to that of Metro-North's out of Poughkeepsie. These riders, along with students and others going to and from nearby Bard College, made Rhinecliff the 46th-busiest Amtrak station in 2004 with 86,466 boardings.[2] Occasional suggestions to bring Metro-North service to Rhinecliff have been stalled by community opposition and track ownership issues.
Though the station's name implies an easy connection to Kingston and vicinity, only taxicabs serve the station from Kingston. However, it is the closest station to the Kingston–Rhinecliff Bridge. In the near future, a Kingston–Rhinecliff Ferry may provide service between the two communities. The Kingston–Rhinecliff Ferry would allow easy access to Kingston from Rhinecliff and vice versa. The next-closest Hudson River crossings are in Hudson, about 30 minutes north; and Poughkeepsie, about the same distance to the south. Both Hudson and Poughkeepsie have their own Amtrak stations.
The station building was built by the New York Central Railroad in the early 20th century in the Mission-Spanish Revival style similar to the next station down the line at Hyde Park. Like much of the hamlet of Rhinecliff, it is a contributing property to the Hudson River Historic District.
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All trains heading southbound from Rhinecliff–Kingston terminate at Penn Station in New York City, while all northbound trains stop at Hudson and Albany–Rensselaer before diverting.
Until April 4, 2009, the southbound Lake Shore Limited (Train 48) also stopped here as well as at Hudson and Poughkeepsie stations.