Schenectady Station rail project underway – $23 million modernazation July 18, 2017 - Front Section

Schenectady, NY According to governor Andrew Cuomo, the demolition of Schenectady Station is underway, making room for a modern, new rail station to connect travelers to New York City, Niagara Falls and beyond. The fully accessible station has a total project cost of $23 million, supported by $17 million in state funding for construction costs and an additional $2 million in state funding for engineering services and other project costs. The project is in addition to $181 million in key rail improvement projects recently completed along the in the Capital Region, easing congestion, modernizing service, shortening travel times and improving accessibility for intercity passenger rail customers traveling between New York City and Niagara Falls.

Andrew Cuomo, Governor, State of New York

“The new Schenectady Station will provide modern conveniences to rail travelers, support the continuing renaissance of the city’s downtown and create a new entryway to the community, helping connect it to the rest of the state,” governor Cuomo said. “This station, combined with other significant rail improvements in the area, will improve efficiency and reliability, enhancing the rail passenger experience throughout New York, and supporting our historic infrastructure investments statewide.”

Work started this spring on preparing the site for the new station, including constructing the new station platform and concourse. The New York State Department of Transportation will advertise this fall for a company to construct the new station building, which is expected to open by late next year.

The station project compliments three federally funded city projects that recently have made $16.5 million in improvements to Erie Blvd., including a $1.5 million project that is rehabilitating it from Union St. to Nott St. this year. That project includes repaving, improved pedestrian accommodations and new pavement markings and traffic signals. An $11.6 million project completed in 2015, redeveloped the roadway from I-890 to Liberty Street with streetscaping, a raised, planted median, traffic signal improvements, enhanced drainage and new curbing and sidewalks. Last year, a $3.6 million project installed a roundabout at the intersection of Erie Boulevard and Nott and Front streets, helping to ease traffic congestion at that busy location.

The building design has been improved to be more passenger friendly and better highlight Schenectady’s history. The new station will be slightly larger than the old station. Its design draws inspiration from the architecture and aesthetic of the former , built on the same site in 1910.

Rendering, Schenectady Station exterior

The design features a red-brick façade with grey stone pilasters and cornices framing the building. At the main entrance there will be a central, gold-domed clock tower topped with a weathervane in the shape of New York State. The building will have multi-story arched windows and a green canopy to shade and protect travelers from the elements on three sides of the building.

Inside, the station will feature images of the and former Alco train yard, an artifact wall decorated with small hand tools, lanterns and other historical memorabilia from the city, and a map on the floor of the entrance highlighting Schenectady’s location in New York State along primary passenger train corridors. The interior also features high vaulted ceilings and a brick feature wall with a large central clock. Plans are for the station to include coffee kiosk, charging stations, and Passenger Information Display Systems with up-to-date train status.

A new concourse will provide access to a new station platform, including a new elevator. The platform will provide secondary egress for emergency use.

The new station and four other significant rail projects were made possible by a landmark agreement Governor Cuomo brokered in December 2012, a long-term lease between CSX Corporation and , which allowed Amtrak to take control of the 94-mile Hudson Line between Schenectady and Poughkeepsie. That newly gave passenger trains priority over freight trains and paved the way for four significant projects and other work that will result in significant service improvements on one of the busiest commuter and freight corridors in the nation. Twenty-six passenger trains a day travel the Hudson Line, operating at speeds up to 110 miles per hour.

Minor work is being finishing up on these projects, which were progressed jointly by the New York State Department of Transportation and Amtrak. The projects received $155.5 million in federal funding, including $147.6 million in funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009. Matching funds of $23.15 million were provided by New York State.

Since the 2012 lease agreement, New York State and Amtrak also have completed approximately $40 million in maintenance repairs and improvements, including bridge deck replacements, bridge and culvert rehabilitations and curve patching. They also have replaced about 80,000 railroad ties between Rensselaer and Poughkeepsie in the last two years. Another 55,000 ties are scheduled to be replaced this summer.

In addition, New York State recently was awarded more than $33 million in Federal Railroad Administration grant funds to further enhance rail safety by installing Positive Train Control technology on the Hudson Line Section of the Empire Corridor between Poughkeepsie and Schenectady. Positive Train Control systems are designed to prevent incidents such as derailments and train-to-train collisions by removing the potential for human error from train operation.

Positive Train Control systems are integrated command, control, communications, and information systems designed to control train movements with safety, security, precision, and efficiency. The Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (RSIA) mandated that Positive Train Control be implemented across a significant portion of the nation’s rail industry by December 31, 2015, a deadline Congress later moved to December 31, 2018. New York Real Estate Journal - 17 Accord Park Drive #207, Norwell MA 02061 - (781) 878-4540