Heading South from the Capital Region? The Perfect New Travel Option is Here for You

Heading downstate to see a game or a show in New York City is always a great time. Getting there from the Capital Region, and then getting back, is far less of a treat for those who have to drive.

Despite being a straight shot north, or south, from one another, it has been difficult in the past to find direct routes from NYC to Albany and back via train. National passenger railroad entity Amtrak is working to change that, and has introduced two new options for those looking to head downstate, but leave the car behind.

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Albany to New York City - Southbound Options

Here are the details for both new train lines being offered by Amtrak. The new routes will be available to travelers beginning on December 5th, 2022. In addition to this new route, the Adirondack, which operates between New York City and Montreal, will return and be available sometime in 2023 as Amtrak continues to re-build its offerings after the COVID-19 pandemic limited travel significantly.

Until then, these new routes will more than suffice. Here's what we know about them:

Option #1 - Late Morning Train

• Leaves Albany-Rensselaer at 11:10 a.m.
• Stops in Hudson at 11:30 a.m.
• Stops in Rhinecliff at 11:54 a.m.
• Stops in Poughkeepsie at 12:10 p.m.
• Finishes at Penn Station's Moynihan Train Hall at 1:45 p.m.

Option #2 - Evening Train

• Leaves Albany-Renssalaer at 5:30 p.m.
• Stops at Hudson at 5:53 p.m.
• Stops at Rhinecliff at 6:15 p.m.
• Stops at Poughkeepsie at 6:30 p.m.
• Reaches Moynihan Train Hall at 8:05 p.m.

New York City to Albany - Northbound Options

Option #1 - Late Morning Train

• Leaves Penn Station's Moynihan Train Hall at 8:15 a.m.
• Stops in Poughkeepsie at 9:45 a.m.
• Stops in Rhinecliff at 10:01 a.m.
• Stops in Hudson at 10:21 a.m.
• Finishes at Albany-Rensselaer station at 10:47 a.m.

Option #2 - Afternoon Train

• Leaves Moynihan Train Hall at 3:15 p.m.
• Stops in Poughkeepsie at 4:40 p.m.
• Stops in Rhinceliff at 4:55 p.m.
• Stops in Hudson at 5:15 p.m.
• Reaches at Albany-Rensselaer station at 5:45 p.m.

An article from The Times Union broke down the information presented by Amtrak, and I'm honestly thrilled by this news. As a sports fan, I'd love to be able to drive to a train station I know, and take one train into the city to see a game at one of the countless arenas and ballparks available to me in New York City.

Instead, however, I would've been forced to drive down, and either find a shorter train route beginning at a station in a place I'm unfamiliar with, or find parking directly near the stadium. Both of those options pale in comparison to bringing my car to the Albany-Rensselaer station, and taking a brisk train ride down to the game in question.

The new route cuts down the service time on a normal Empire Service Train ride significantly, and will make the journey up and down the east coast of New York so much simpler.