Temporary service changes between ALB and SDY (July-August 2022)

[user 5784]

well you can ride and see what happens! I was on board 290 out of BTN on Friday. Was a great ride, though of course would have been better without bussing. Oh well.

 

[Amtrak25]

Well they really out did themselves this time.

A 3rd email and phone call reiterated the first set saying there is an enroute service disruption, but I need not do a thing. Everything has been taken care of.

 

[joelkfla]

This situation may take a long time to resolve. The building owner is quite litigious and will oppose any attempt by the city to demolish the structure. And he doesn't seem to have the assets or the inclination to fix the building either.

The mayor or some similar official was interviewed on one of the news clips. She said their hands were tied before, but now that it's an imminent public safety hazard, they can do what's necessary and bill the owner.

 

[zephyr17]

The mayor or some similar official was interviewed on one of the news clips. She said their hands were tied before, but now that it's an imminent public safety hazard, they can do what's necessary and bill the owner.

Yeah, I saw that, too. Cities and counties have pretty extensive rights when something is clearly hazardous.

I think that owner is going to come out on the short end of the stick. At the end of all this I think it is likely he'll lose that property entirely, seized for unpaid taxes and repair/demolition bills, which he won't pay, either.

 

[PaTrainFan]

Yeah, I saw that, too. Cities and counties have pretty extensive rights when something is clearly hazardous.

I think that owner is going to come out on the short end of the stick. At the end of all this I think it is likely he'll lose that property entirely, seized for unpaid taxes and repair/demolition bills, which he won't pay, either.

He likely will, but he can also tie it up in courts and drag this drama out and make it tough on everybody. He doesn't strike one as the compromising type.

 

[zephyr17]

He likely will, but he can also tie it up in courts and drag this drama out and make it tough on everybody. He doesn't strike one as the compromising type.

He can tie up the bills in courts but with an imminent hazard, he can't really tie up evaluation and repair or demolition. His lawyers can try, but it isn't likely a court is going to stay a city from remediating a clearly imminent hazard to the public safety. It may be years before it is all sorted out legally, and Albany isn't going to get reimbursed any time soon (if ever), but all that will be after the fact. The city will be able to take action since the building is now shedding large chunks of concrete (which it wasn't before, or not noticeably).

Too bad he preferred to pay lawyers instead of contractors up to now.

 

[Bonser]

He likely will, but he can also tie it up in courts and drag this drama out and make it tough on everybody. He doesn't strike one as the compromising type.

Depends on how deep his pockets are.

 

[west point]

The pictures reveal tht the problem is worse than I thought. Early reports seemed to indicate that only the facade falling off. That building is one as a business would never rent space. Just trying to keep employees would be impossible.

 

[John Santos]

The linked map provides a good overview of the rail lines in the Albany region. Albany Rail Map

My malware blocker says the map includes a trojan and won't let it load.

 

[billosborn]

Looks like the LSL 49(31) successfully completed it's bus bridge in Albany. It departed from Schenectady over two hours late, but that makes sense - it many only be about 20 minutes from the two cities, but you have off load everyone from the train at Albany, put them and their luggage on to buses, and then reload everyone and everything to the other LSL at Schenectady.
Since there seems to be no quick fix for the crumbling building, I would assume that the delay ot of Schenectady will continue.

I am booked on the LSL 49 on August 27 from Buffalo. So instead of getting on at 12.43 am at Depew, we get to wait around another few hours in the station... We have a roomette, so we can crawl into bed, skip breakfast, and hope that it's late enough into Chicago to sneak in lunch!

 

[jis]

So the Amtrak qualification runs have taken place yesterday, and there will be more before the detour is put into effect.

Rumor has it that Amtrak trains will make SDY and then proceed to South Schenectady Yard from where it will reverse on the Carmen Branch to the Selkirk Branch, then move forward on it to the Post Road Junction and reverse from there into ALB. It will probably add a couple of hours to the overall time between ALB and SDY, but probably less than the time taken by the bus bridge. And of course it will be a more convenient single seat ride.

 

[Amtrak25]

In Sunday, I tracked 290. It was 10 minutes late into Saratoga, and makeup train was 20 late out of Rensselaer.

I am 290 right now. We left Burlington 10 minutes late. 26 passengers boarded there.

The latst time I departed Burlington on a train was July 1976 for Rutland on board former LIRR P54 coaches of Steamtown's.

 

[jis]

In Sunday, I tracked 290. It was 10 minutes late into Saratoga, and makeup train was 20 late out of Rensselaer.

I am 290 right now. We left Burlington 10 minutes late. 26 passengers boarded there.

The latst time I departed Burlington on a train was July 1976 for Rutland on board former LIRR P54 coaches of Steamtown's.

If the bus bridge is that quick maybe they should continue with the bus bridge for the EA and use the complex diversion only for the LSL and ML.

 

[Amtrak25]

Conductor already said bus from Saratoga is faster than the train.

 

[jis]

Conductor already said bus from Saratoga is faster than the train.

Then again, it is possible that the bus would be faster from Burlington too. So we should be careful about how far we take it

 

[Amtrak25]

I took the VTL bus northbound on Friday. It lost a half hour north of Rutland with US7 congestion and repaving.

 

[John819]

So the Amtrak qualification runs have taken place yesterday, and there will be more before the detour is put into effect.

Rumor has it that Amtrak trains will make SDY and then proceed to South Schenectady Yard from where it will reverse on the Carmen Branch to the Selkirk Branch, then move forward on it to the Post Road Junction and reverse from there into ALB. It will probably add a couple of hours to the overall time between ALB and SDY, but probably less than the time taken by the bus bridge. And of course it will be a more convenient single seat ride.

I guess a good portion of the run will be at restricted speed, correct?

 

[jis]

I guess a good portion of the run will be at restricted speed, correct?

Yes. And clearly the bus bridge will be quicker than the diversion for Regional trains. So the diversion might make sense only for the LSL and perhaps the ML. We'll have to wait and see how this unfolds.

 

[NYP2NFL01]

I’m booked on 49 (8/3) out of NYP. So, I will attempt to describe how the bus bridge experience is from my personal point-of-view. I’ll try to add a picture or two as well.

 

[haroldo]

I’m booked on 49 (8/3) out of NYP. So, I will attempt to describe how the bus bridge experience is from my personal point-of-view. I’ll try to add a picture or two as well.

Thank you.

 

[PRR 60]

Yes. And clearly the bus bridge will be quicker than the diversion for Regional trains. So the diversion might make sense only for the LSL and perhaps the ML. We'll have to wait and see how this unfolds.

I did a topomap distance of the proposed diversion route and came up with just over 47 miles station to station between Schenectady (SDY) to Albany (ALB). At 30mph that would be about 90 minutes running time. Add 10 minutes each for the three changes in direction, we're up to two hours. Add another hour of slop because it is Amtrak and CSX (imprecision railroading), and we're up to three hours from leaving SDY to arriving at ALB, and vice versa. The normal route SDY - ALB is 18 miles and is scheduled at 27 minutes. My guess: 2 to 2-1/2 hours delay using the diversion route. However, rare mileage is worth something.

 

[Amtrak25]

I took the VTL bus northbound on Friday. It lost a half hour north of Rutland with US7 congestion and repaving.

Train 290 got to Saratoga on time.
Transfer time to 3 Wade Tour buses took 13 minutes. We bypassed Schenectady, arrived Rensselaer exactly on time. Relief train departed 3 minutes late.

Entire 48/448 consist is sitting there pointed south. I have no ideas how or when it got there.

There was another Ethan Allen consist sitting in Saratoga ready to be 291. Our 290 conductor from Burlington rode the bus with us. I have no idea how or when the northern Ethan Allen consists get to or from Saratoga.

Word on bus is that tracks open on Tuesday regardless of that building. When we drove by it on the bus on the highway, there was no sign of activity

 

[PRR 60]

Assuming my route assumptions are correct, this is what the diversion looks like. First image is the detail in the Schenectady area, second is the full route.

 

[jis]

There is a rumor going around that the through route might be opened tomorrow with speed restrictions through the demo area thus avoiding the need for a diversion. We'll see how that goes.

 

[Amtrak25]

Asm transitdocs says 48 came through from Chicago, on time all the way. It was sitting in the Albany depot a 3pm, to leave at 4:10.