Hudson Subdivision

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MAIN LINE - NEW YORK TO HOFFMANS
Amtrak logo.svg
Albany–Rensselaer station, a station on the Amtrak Hudson Line
Albany–Rensselaer station, a station on the Amtrak Hudson Line
Overview
StatusOperational
OwnerCSX Transportation
LocaleUpstate New York
TerminiPoughkeepsie
Schenectady
Stations5
Service
TypeHigher-speed rail
Inter-city rail
SystemAmtrak
CSX Transportation
ServicesLake Shore Limited
Empire Service
Maple Leaf
Adirondack
Ethan Allen Express
Operator(s)Amtrak
Technical
Line length169.7 mi (273.1 km)
Track length104.6 mi (168.3 km)
Number of tracks1-2
CharacterAt-grade
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Operating speed110 mph (180 km/h)
SignallingCab signalling
Route map

Legend
Hudson Line (Empire Corridor)
to Grand Central Terminal
 Poughkeepsie
Hyde Park
Staatsburgh
 Rhinecliff–Kingston
Barrytown
Tivoli
Germantown
Linlithgo
Greendale
 Hudson
Greendale
Stockport
Newton Hook
Stuyvesant
Castleton Subdivision
Schodack Landing
Castleton Subdivision
Castleton
Berkshire Subdivision
Post Road Branch
 Albany–Rensselaer
Former Troy & Greenbush Railroad
Livingston Avenue Bridge (Hudson River)
Port Subdivision
Albany Union Station
Carman Subdivision
 Schenectady
Canadian Pacific Railway
Mohawk River
Selkirk Subdivision
Mohawk Subdivision (Empire Corridor)
This diagram:
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The Amtrak Hudson Line, also known as the CSX Hudson Subdivision, is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation and leased by Amtrak in the U.S. state of New York.[1] The line runs from Poughkeepsie north along the east shore of the Hudson River to Rensselaer and northwest to Hoffmans via Albany and Schenectady[2] along a former New York Central Railroad line. From its south end, CSX has trackage rights south to New York City along the Metro-North Railroad's Hudson Line. The Hudson Line junctions the Castleton Subdivision in Stuyvesant, Amtrak's Post Road Branch in Rensselaer and the Carman Subdivision in Schenectady. Its northwest end is at a merge with the Mohawk Subdivision.[3][4]

The entirety of the line overlaps with the Empire Corridor, one of Amtrak and the Federal Railroad Administration's candidate lines for future high-speed rail.

History[]

The Mohawk and Hudson Railroad opened a line from Albany to Schenectady in 1831.[5] The Utica and Schenectady Railroad opened from Schenectady west to Utica in 1836, including the present Hudson Subdivision west of Schenectady.[6] On the east side of the Hudson River, the Hudson River Railroad opened from New York City north to Rensselaer in 1851.[7] The original Hudson River crossing was the Hudson River Bridge, but the Livingston Avenue Bridge, the current crossing, opened in 1902.[8] The entire line became part of the New York Central, later Penn Central, and finally Conrail, through leases, mergers, and takeovers. The line was then assigned to CSX in the 1999 breakup of Conrail.

In October 2011, CSX and Amtrak reached an agreement for Amtrak to lease the line between Poughkeepsie and Schenectady, with Amtrak assuming maintenance and capital responsibilities. CSX will retain freight rights over the line, which hosts two freights a day. Amtrak has used federal funds to double-track the line between Rensselaer and Schenectady and add an additional station track at the Albany-Rensselaer station. Amtrak sees the lease as a key to improving Empire Service speeds and frequencies.[9] Amtrak officially assumed control on December 1, 2012, with trains in the section now dispatched by the Amtrak Control and Command Center in New York City.[1]

Services[]

Current service[]

As a segment of the Empire Corridor, the Hudson Line carries five Amtrak routes. The Empire Service, Lake Shore Limited and Maple Leaf operate over the entire Hudson Line, while the Adirondack and Ethan Allen Express use the line southeast of the Delaware and Hudson Railway junction in Schenectady. The trackage west of that junction to Hoffmans is owned by Amtrak and used by CSX via trackage rights.

The Hudson Line has four stations: Schenectady Intermodal Station, Albany–Rensselaer station, Hudson station, and Rhinecliff–Kingston station. Schenectady and Rensselaer are served by all five Amtrak services, while Hudson and Rhinecliff are bypassed only by the Lake Shore Limited. Poughkeepsie station is also part of the Amtrak Hudson Line, although Metro-North owns trackage up to a point 2 miles (3.2 km) north of the station.

Former service[]

Service on the line was originally established as the Hudson River Railroad in 1846, opened to Rensselaer in 1851, and later became part of the New York Central Railroad. Following New York Central's 1968 merger and the PC 1970 bankruptcy, Conrail assumed responsibility for the line. Conrail abandoned all non-Amtrak stations in 1981, and when the Metro-North Railroad was established in 1983 to take over operations of what became the Hudson Line, service did not resume.

Stations[]

HD refers to the Hudson Division, the New York Central (and later Conrail) line that preceded to Metro-North's Hudson Line.

Location Station Station opened Closed opened Line services Connections
ES ML LS AD EA HD
Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie February 18, 1918[10] ● ● ● ● ● ● Metro-North Railroad: Hudson Line
City of Poughkeepsie Transit: Main Street
Dutchess County LOOP: A, B, C, D, E, Poughkeepsie Commuter Connection
Hyde Park Hyde Park 1914[11] 1981 ●
Staatsburg 1981 ●
Rhinecliff Rhinecliff–Kingston 1914[12] ● ● ● ● ●
Barrytown 1981 ●
Tivoli 1960 ●
Germantown 1981 ●
Livingston 1981 ●
Greenport 1981 ●
Hudson Hudson 1874[12] ● ● ● ● ●
Stockport 1981 ●
Stuyvesant 1981 ●
Stuyvesant 1880[13] 1981 ●
Schodack Landing 1981 ●
Castleton-on-Hudson 1981 ●
Rensselaer Albany–Rensselaer 1968 ● ● ● ● ● Capital District Transportation Authority: NX Northway Express, 114, 214
Albany Albany Union Station 1900[14] 1968 ●
Schenectady Schenectady Intermodal Station October 17, 2018[15] ● ● ● ● ● Capital District Transportation Authority: 351, 353, 354, 355, 370, 763, 905 BusPlus

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Governor Cuomo Announces Hudson Rail Line Lease" (Press release). Albany, New York: New York State. December 4, 2012. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  2. ^ CSX Timetables: Hudson Subdivision
  3. ^ http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/HN-Hudson_Sub
  4. ^ CSX Transportation (November 1, 2004). "Albany Division, Timetable No. 4" (PDF).
  5. ^ "PRR Chronology, 1831" (PDF). (70.4 KiB), June 2004 Edition
  6. ^ "PRR Chronology, 1836" (PDF). (93.3 KiB), June 2004 Edition
  7. ^ "PRR Chronology, 1851" (PDF). (67.7 KiB), March 2005 Edition
  8. ^ "6) Livingston Avenue Bridge Rehabilitation". Capital District Transportation Committee. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
  9. ^ Eric Anderson (October 18, 2011). "Amtrak leasing track corridor". Times-Union. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
  10. ^ Howe, Patricia; Katherine Moore (February 25, 1976). "National Register of Historic Places nomination, Poughkeepsie Railroad station". Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2008.
  11. ^ "Hyde Park Station History". January 25, 2003. Retrieved November 17, 2007.
  12. ^ a b "Building Great American Stations". Amtrak. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  13. ^ Thomas E. Rinaldi, Rob Yasinsac (2006). Hudson Valley Ruins: Forgotten Landmarks of an American Landscape, p.71. UPNE. ISBN 9781584655985. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
  14. ^ Liebs, Chester H. (July 1970). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Albany Union Station". Archived from the original on September 14, 2011. Retrieved July 10, 2011. and Accompanying two photos, exterior, from 1905 and undated
  15. ^ "Governor Cuomo Announces Grand Opening of Schenectady Train Station". Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. October 17, 2018. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
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