Station Review #145: Albany-Rensselaer (Amtrak)


Albany-Rensselaer is an Amtrak station located on East Street in the city of Rensselaer, New York, though made to serve the nearby city of Albany. 

Services

The station serves these routes:

Amtrak: 

• Adirondack: Montreal - NYC via Plattsburgh. 1 train per day per direction
• Berkshire Flyer - NYC to Pittsfield, MA. This is a seasonal train, only operating once every few days, and on weekends only. 
• Empire Service: NYC - Albany/Rensselaer - Niagara Falls. Eight trains run to NYC from Rensselaer, five from NYC to Rensselaer, and two all the way from NYC to Niagara Falls. 
• Ethan Allen Express: NYC - Burlington (VT) via Albany/Rensselaer. 1 train per day per direction
• Lake Shore Limited: This is essentially two trains in one, both with one train per day per direction. This is specifically Chicago - Boston and Chicago - NYC, and both split off at Albany-Rensselaer station. 
• Maple Leaf: NYC - Toronto. One train a day per direction. Jointly operated with VIA Rail. 

Trailways: 

• ADT 287: NYC (PABT) - Montreal.
• ADT 501: NYC (PABT) - Rensselaer via Albany and various towns on the west side of the Hudson River.
• ADT 531: NYC (PABT) - Rensselaer express. 

Vermont Translines: 

• 7: The only Vermont Translines bus, this goes between Colchester, VT and the Albany International Airport via US route 7. Most buses end at the Rensselaer station. These buses are considered Amtrak Thruway buses. 


History

This station was built in the late 1960s to replace the original Albany Union station, due to the construction of I-787. Due to the configuration of tracks there, Albany-Rensslaer only had three tracks for a very long time. The depot was replaced at least one time in the 1980s by a different structure. These two structures were left standing next to eachother, and both structures were completely demolished in the 2010s to make for the current station and a fourth track. This work was finally completed in 2016. 

Tour

Platform and train

Already a very good sign, the platform is fully high level and accessible

Escalator

Signage for Vermont Transline buses

One of the waiting rooms near the platforms

The main room

There are multiple shops and restaurants here, as well as the Rensselaer post office. There's a lower floor with a parking garage, baggage claims, and the the bus bays for the thruway buses. 

Outside the station

Parking

There is a lot of parking here, isn't this a bit much? If there were more train stations in the area maybe there wouldn't need to be this much, especially considering that there's a parking garage below the station building. 

Station from side, with post office entrance

Another view of one of the platforms


Bus Connections

All bus connections at Albany/Rennselaer are ran by CDTA, the main transit system of the New York Capital District. 

• 114: Madison Ave/Western Ave
• 214: Rensselaer Third Street - Amtrak 
• 808: Albany - North Greenbush shuttle

All of these buses go to Albany itself.

Points of Interest Near Albany-Rensselaer station


There's a lot to do and see in Albany itself. Problem is, this train station isn't in Albany. Besides getting to Albany, Rensselaer does have things to do, mainly a large amount of Burmese stores and restaurants. Besides that, Downtown Rensselaer is otherwise pretty dead. 
 
There's more in Albany, but Downtown Albany is a 1.3 mile walk away.  

Statistics


Name: Albany-Rensslaer
Agency: Amtrak, Trailways, Vermont Translines, CDTA
Line(s): Adirondack, Berkshire Flyer, Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Lake-Shore Limited, Maple Leaf
Locality: East Street Neighborhood
Municipality: Rennselaer
County: Rensselaer
State: New York
Ridership: 790,673 riders (2023)

Amenity Checklist


Accessible: ✓
Bathrooms: ✓
Bicycle parking: ✓
Clean Station: ✓
Connections to other transit routes: ✓
Convenience Store inside: ✓
Easy passage for each side: ✓
Existence is Justifiable: ✓
Fare Payment Kiosks (if applicable): n/a
Good Wayfinding: ✓
Indoor Shelters: ✓
Maps: ✓
Multiple entrances/exits: ✓
Multiple Rooms: ✓
Adequate Parking: ✓
Restaurant inside: ✓
Safe to use: ✓
Adequate Seating: ✓
Shelters: ✓
Station In Good Condition: ✓
TVMs: ✓
Ticket Offices: ✓
TOD: ✓
Train Departure/Arrival Info (signs that update/screens): ✓
Updated/Useful Signage: ✓

Final Verdict: 9.5/10
 

Station Directory


--------MASSACHUSETTS--------
--------Suffolk County--------
Boston-South
Boston-Back Bay 
--------Middlesex County--------
Framingham
--------Worcester County--------
Worcester Union
--------Hampden County--------
Springfield Union
--------Berkshire County--------
Pittsfield
--------NEW YORK--------
--------Rensselaer County--------
Albany-Rensselaer
  
--------NEW YORK--------
--------Manhattan Borough--------
New York Penn
--------Westchester County--------
Yonkers 
Croton-Harmon
--------Dutchess County--------
Poughskeepie
Rhinecliff
--------Columbia County--------
Hudson
--------Rensselaer County--------
Albany-Rensselaer
--------Schenectady County--------
Schenectady 
 
SECTIONS PAST SCHENECTADY:
 
Hudson River Corridor
 
--------Saratoga County--------
Saratoga Springs
--------Washington County--------
Fort Edwards
Whitehall
 
Adirondack:

--------Essex County--------
Ticonderoga
Port Henry
Westport
Port Kent
--------Clinton County--------
Plattsburgh
Rouses Point 
--------CANADA--------
--------QUÉBEC--------
--------Montérégie Region--------
Saint-Lambert
--------Montréal Region--------
Gare Centrale de Montréal
 
Ethan Allen Express:
 
--------VERMONT-------- 
--------Rutland County--------
Castleton
Rutland
--------Addison County--------
Middlebury
Ferrisburgh
--------Chittenden County--------
Burlington Union 
 
Empire Corridor (Empire Service, Lake Shore Limited, Maple Leaf)
 
--------Montgomery County--------
Amsterdam
--------Oneida County--------
Utica Union
Rome
--------Onondaga County--------
Syracuse
New York State Fair 
--------Monroe County--------
Rochester
--------Erie County--------
Buffalo-Depew

SECTIONS PAST DEPEW:
 
Empire Service/Maple Leaf
 
--------Erie County--------
Buffalo-Exchange Street
--------Niagara County--------
Niagara Falls, NY
 
Empire service ends here, Maple Leaf:
  
--------CANADA--------
--------ONTARIO--------
--------Niagara Region--------
Niagara Falls, ON
St. Catharines
Grimsby 
--------Halton Region--------
Aldershot
Oakville
--------City of Toronto--------
Toronto Union Station
 
Lake Shore Limited:
 
--------PENNSYLVANIA--------
--------Erie County-------- 
Erie Union
--------OHIO--------
--------Cuyahoga County-------- 
Cleveland Lakefront
--------Lorain County-------- 
Elyria
--------Erie County-------- 
Sandusky
--------Lucas County-------- 
 Toledo-Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza 
--------Williams County-------- 
Bryan
--------INDIANA--------
--------DeKalb County--------
Waterloo
 --------Elkhart County-------- 
Elkhart
--------St. Josephs County-------- 
South Bend    
--------ILLINOIS--------
--------Cook County--------
Chicago Union

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