TheAmtrak Hudson Line,also known as theCSX Hudson Subdivision,is arailroadline owned byCSX Transportationand leased byAmtrakin the U.S. state ofNew York.[1]The line runs fromPoughkeepsienorth along the east shore of theHudson RivertoRensselaerand northwest toHoffmansviaAlbanyandSchenectady[2]along a formerNew York Central Railroadline. From its south end, CSX hastrackage rightssouth toNew York Cityalong theMetro-North Railroad'sHudson Line.The Hudson Line junctions theCastleton SubdivisioninStuyvesant,Amtrak'sPost Road Branchin Rensselaer and theCarman Subdivisionin Schenectady. Its northwest end is at a merge with theMohawk Subdivision.[3][4]The entirety of the line overlaps with theEmpire Corridor,one of Amtrak and theFederal Railroad Administration's candidate lines for futurehigh-speed rail.

Amtrak Hudson Line
A passenger train on a riverside rail line
An Amtrak train nearRhinecliff stationin 2017
Overview
Other name(s)CSX Hudson Subdivision
OwnerCSX Transportation
LocaleUpstate New York
Termini
Stations5
Service
SystemAmtrak/CSX Transportation
Services6
Operator(s)Amtrak
Technical
Line length104.6 mi (168.3 km)
Number of tracks1-2
CharacterAt-grade
Track gauge4 ft8+12in(1,435 mm)standard gauge
Operating speed110 mph (180 km/h)
SignallingCab signalling
Route map

Hudson Line(Empire Corridor)
toGrand Central Terminal
Poughkeepsie
Staatsburgh
Rhinecliff
Barrytown
Tivoli
Germantown
Linlithgo
Greendale
Hudson
Greendale
Stockport
Newton Hook
Schodack Landing
Castleton
Albany–Rensselaer
Former Troy & Greenbush Railroad
Schenectady

History

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TheMohawk and Hudson Railroadopened a line from Albany to Schenectady in 1831.[5]TheUtica and Schenectady Railroadopened from Schenectady west toUticain 1836, including the present Hudson Subdivision west of Schenectady.[6]On the east side of the Hudson River, theHudson River Railroadopened from New York City north to Rensselaer in 1851.[7]The original Hudson River crossing was theHudson River Bridge,but theLivingston Avenue Bridge,the current crossing, opened in 1902.[8]The entire line became part of the New York Central, laterPenn Central,and finallyConrail,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 improvingEmpire Servicespeeds 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

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Current service

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As a segment of the Empire Corridor, the Hudson Line carries six Amtrak routes. TheEmpire Service,Berkshire Flyer,Lake Shore Limited,andMaple Leafoperate over the entire Hudson Line, while theAdirondackandEthan Allen Expressoperate over all except for the small portion northwest of theDelaware and Hudson Railwayjunction in Schenectady. The trackage west of that junction to Hoffmans is owned by Amtrak and used by CSX viatrackage rights.

The Hudson Line has four active stations:Schenectady,Albany–Rensselaer,Hudson,andRhinecliff.Schenectady is served by five Amtrak services, while Albany-Rensselaer are served by all six Amtrak services, while Hudson is bypassed only by the Lake Shore Limited.Poughkeepsie stationis 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

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Service on the line was originally established as theHudson River Railroadin 1846, opened to Rensselaer in 1851, and later became part of theNew York Central Railroad.Commuter service was always concentrated south of Poughkeepsie: by 1940, only three daily round trips – none of them timed for commuting to New York City – made local stops between Albany and Poughkeepsie.[10]By 1960, only a single daily round trip (timed for commuting to Albany) made local stops.[11]It was cut to a Hudson–Albany round trip with four intermediate stops by 1964, and discontinued around 1965; some intercity trains continued to stop at Rhinecliff and Hudson.[12][13][14]The New York Central merged intoPenn Centralin 1968, which in turn becameConrailin 1976. Amtrak took over intercity passenger service from Penn Central in 1971.

Stations

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HDrefers to theHudson Division,the New York Central (and laterConrail) line that preceded Metro-North'sHudson Line.

Location Station Line services Connections
ES ML LS AD EA HD
Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie 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
Staatsburg Staatsburgh
Rhinecliff Rhinecliff
Barrytown Barrytown
Tivoli Tivoli
Germantown Germantown
Livingston Linlithgo
Greenport Greendale
Hudson Hudson
Stockport Stockport
Stuyvesant Newton Hook
Stuyvesant
Schodack Landing Schodack Landing
Castleton-on-Hudson Castleton
Rensselaer Albany–Rensselaer Capital District Transportation Authority:NX Northway Express, 114, 214
Albany Albany Union Station
Schenectady Schenectady Capital District Transportation Authority: 351, 353, 354, 355, 370, 763, 905 BusPlus

See also

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References

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  1. ^ab"Governor Cuomo Announces Hudson Rail Line Lease"(Press release).Albany, New York:New York State.December 4, 2012. Archived fromthe originalon April 9, 2018.RetrievedSeptember 21,2019.
  2. ^"CSX Timetables: Hudson Subdivision".Archived fromthe originalon November 26, 2002.
  3. ^"HN-Hudson Sub".The RadioReference Wiki.
  4. ^CSX Transportation(November 1, 2004)."Albany Division, Timetable No. 4"(PDF).
  5. ^"PRR Chronology, 1831"(PDF).(70.4KiB),June 2004 Edition
  6. ^"PRR Chronology, 1836"(PDF).(93.3KiB),June 2004 Edition
  7. ^"PRR Chronology, 1851"(PDF).(67.7KiB),March 2005 Edition
  8. ^"6) Livingston Avenue Bridge Rehabilitation".Capital District Transportation Committee. Archived fromthe originalon May 16, 2008.RetrievedJune 11,2009.
  9. ^Anderson, Eric (October 18, 2011)."Amtrak leasing track corridor".Times Union.RetrievedOctober 25,2011.
  10. ^Hudson Division | Mohawk Division | Time-Table No. 51 For Employees Only(PDF).New York Central Railroad. April 28, 1940.
  11. ^Hudson Division | New York Terminal Division | Time-Table No. 8 For Employees Only(PDF).New York Central Railroad. October 30, 1960.
  12. ^New York State Area Time Table(PDF).New York Central Railroad. October 25, 1964.
  13. ^"I.C.C. Examiner Backing Request for End of Rail Service".The Glen Falls Times.March 3, 1965. p. 5 – via Newspapers.
  14. ^Time Table No. 19 For Employees Only(PDF).New York Central Railroad. April 24, 1966.
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