I-87 Multimodal Corridor Study Adirondack Corridor Service Improvements 2.10. ADIRONDACK CORRIDOR SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS 2.10.1. INTRODUCTION The improvement project presented in this section – New Albany-Rensselaer Station Adirondack Corridor Service Improvements – is focused on the Intercity and Tourist travel markets. The Empire Corridor between New York City, Albany and the Buffalo/Niagara Falls (see Figure 2.10-1) area is one of the more successful rail corridors in the country, particularly between Albany and New York City. Ridership on the Adirondack Corridor portion, between Albany, Plattsburgh, and Montreal, is considerably less, although passenger rail service to the Adirondack communities is important to their long-term vitality. The concepts discussed in this section look to build on those successes, focusing specifically on possible actions in the Capital District and along the Adirondack Corridor. A variety of improvements have been identified to improve travel times, reliability and service quality as part of the High-Speed Rail Pre-Feasibility Study: New York City to Montreal, which was completed as part of the I-87 Multimodal Corridor Study. The proposed project looks at further actions to enhance rail service in the corridor, including improved public transportation links between the Albany/Rensselaer train station and major destinations in the Capital District. These and other actions to upgrade Empire and Adirondack Corridor rail service and to increase their effectiveness as part of a vital public transportation network are consistent with the multimodal goals of the corridor study and the Smart Public Transportation elements of its Corridor Strategic Plan. 2.10.2. EXISTING CONDITIONS 2.10.2.1. Empire and Adirondack Corridor Intercity Rail Service Although the Capital District is presently served by both the Adirondack and Empire Amtrak services, upgrades to both of these services is necessary to enhance passenger rail service in the region and along the I-87 corridor as a whole. Adirondack Service between Albany and Montreal, with stops at Schenectady, Saratoga Springs, and various points within the Adirondack region, consists of only one train per day in each direction, and the travel time is more than seven hours. Although the Empire Corridor between New York City and Albany is one of Amtrak’s more successful rail lines, it does not serve the growing market for trips to and from residential and employment centers in Saratoga County. Service improvements to these rail corridors, as well as the potential to expand passenger rail service beyond what currently exists, is limited by the present condition of Canadian Pacific (CP) Railway Canadian Main Line infrastructure between Schenectady and Rouses Point. The efficiency and reliability of both the track and signaling systems must be upgraded, new or extended sidings are needed in several locations, and a bypass of the Saratoga Springs Yard would be required to extend Empire Corridor service north to the recently reconstructed Saratoga Springs Station. Several improvements to rail infrastructure in the corridor are already programmed or have been proposed as part of other initiatives. These include the following: Parsons-Clough Harbour Page 2.10-1 I-87 Multimodal Corridor Study Adirondack Corridor Service Improvements FIGURE 2.10-1 AMTRAK SERVICE IN NEW YORK STATE Parsons-Clough Harbour I-87 Multimodal Corridor Study Adirondack Corridor Service Improvements • High Speed Rail Pre-Feasibility Study Maintenance Upgrade. In the I-87 Multi- Modal Corridor Study’s High-Speed Rail Pre-Feasibility Study, a broad range of improvement scenarios were tested to assess their effectiveness in increasing operating speeds and reliability and reducing travel time between Schenectady and Rouses Point. Similar improvements to the rail segment between Rouses Point and Montreal were simultaneously studied by the Ministry of Transportation Quebec (MTQ). Both studies concluded that a series of relatively modest improvements could significantly reduce travel times between Albany and Montreal. The “Maintenance Upgrade” alternatives identified for various areas between Albany and Rouses Point would produce time savings of 45 minutes, compared with the present schedule. The estimated capital cost for these improvements, which are summarized in Table 2.10-1, would be approximately $20 million. Combined with similar improvements within Quebec, travel time between Albany and Montreal could be cut by 3 hours. • CSX Double-Tracking. NYSDOT and Amtrak have long-standing plans to double-track the 18-mile CSX Hudson Subdivision between Albany-Rensselaer and Schenectady, a mostly single-track route that is presently used by 12 Amtrak trains per weekday (six in each direction) as part of Amtrak’s Empire Service, as well as by the Adirondack Corridor service and Ethan Allen service to Vermont. One critical infrastructure element, the Albany-Rensselaer railroad bridge (Livingston Avenue Movable Bridge), is already double-track, but in need of signalization and significant rehabilitation work. Final design engineering for this bridge work remains to be done. Table 2.10-1 – Proposed Improvements to Reduce Trip Time on Canadian Pacific Railway Canadian Main Line between Ballston Spa and Rouses Point Start End Total Estimated Proposed Improvement Mile Mile Estimated Cost Length Total Cost Post Post (miles) 38.0 41.0 $2,400,000 43.0 50.0 $5,600,000 Replace Jointed Rail with 118.9 119.0 $200,000 12.2 $10,000,000 Continuous Welded Rail 119.0 120.0 $800,000 120.0 121.0 $800,000 134.3 134.4 $200,000 Construct New Passing TBD TBD $3,000,000 TBD $3,000,000 Siding Tie Replacement / Track Surfacing / Curve 142.0 192.0 $6,000,000 50.0 $6,000,000 Realignment Bridge Replacement 29.5 29.6 $1,000,000 0.1 $1,000,000 Total Estimated Cost of Improvements $20,000,000 TBD = To be determined • Canadian Pacific Railway Capital Improvements. The primary focus of CP’s capital programs in the foreseeable future is three-fold: Parsons-Clough Harbour Page 2.10-2 I-87 Multimodal Corridor Study Adirondack Corridor Service Improvements • To correct temporary slow-order conditions; • To maintain the existing capabilities of infrastructure between Schenectady and Rouses Point in terms of track capacity and Maximum Authorized Speed (MAS) for freight and passenger train service; and • To improve the efficiency and reliability of the signaling system and track structure. These improvements will add considerably to the overall dependability of service, both freight and passenger. NYSDOT is assisting in the funding of this effort. The Canadian Main Line track structure has nearly 50 percent jointed rail, which is necessarily more expensive to maintain than continuously welded rail (CWR) because track surfacing is required more frequently, with greater wear and tear to crossties and ballast due to the forces exerted at the bolted joints between rail sections. Subgrade and stabilization work on various track sections in the 2004 work season are expected to improve signal system and service reliability. These improvements were previously scheduled and are not part of the $20 million in proposed improvements identified in the High-Speed Rail Pre-Feasibility Study. The freight traffic volume on the Canadian Main Line is comparatively small by U.S. mainline railroad standards. Therefore, CP plans on gradually installing CWR where economically justifiable on the Canadian Main, such as locations where jointed rail must be replaced. Installation of CWR helps reduce maintenance of way and signal operating expenses, while improving service reliability by reducing signal system failures that require trains to operate at restricted speed. The operation of an intercity corridor-style passenger service requires that on- time performance be in the 90-95 percent range in order to be acceptable to customers. To date, NYSDOT and CP Rail have invested in a $27 million program for infrastructure improvements along the Canadian Main Line, including the new Saratoga Springs passenger station, vertical clearance improvements for intermodal containers, and other system reliability improvements that will benefit both passenger and freight service. CP and NYSDOT investments in the near term will improve operational reliability but not significantly alter the network configuration or capacity, although improving reliability does produce some increase in capacity through improved train flow over the network. 2.10.2.2. Capital District Commuter Rail Service No regular commuter rail service currently exists within the Capital District, although Amtrak’s intercity service on its Adirondack and Ethan Allen lines can be used to make some commuter or other trips between Albany and Saratoga County. As running times continue to improve on the Empire Line between New York City and Albany, an increasing number of persons living or working in the Capital District now use the train as a link to New York City and other points south. In 2000, the Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) conducted several marketing and feasibility studies as part of its Commuter Rail Demonstration Project. The project was an outgrowth of the Capital District Transportation Committee’s (CDTC) New Visions long-range transportation plan for the region, and of the Regional Enterprise for a Vital Economy and Sustainable Transportation (REVEST) program developed in 1998. The demonstration project was ultimately discontinued because market demand for commuter rail in the district and the