A structural issue with a Manhattan parking garage snarled Amtrak service for hundreds of New York state riders. Passengers have endured a few days of tough travel.
For the second consecutive day, Amtrak service between the Albany-Rensselaer station and New York City was not fully operational, causing headaches for some passengers who rely on the popular Empire Line.
“I had no idea what was going on,” Amtrak passenger Allison Bossart said.
She had visited friends in the Albany area over the weekend.
“I was planning on going back yesterday around three, and I got a message that my train was canceled,” Bossart said.
According to Amtrak, the suspended service was a result of safety concerns with a non-Amtrak, privately owned parking garage above the tracks in New York City.
“I didn’t expect it, but my friend was like, 'Oh yeah, this happens all the time. There's always some sort of delay. Usually, it’s because of weather.'”
Amtrak service west of the Capital City was shut down last summer for a similar issue, stemming from falling concrete from the Central Warehouse in Albany.
Frequent riders said incidents like this highlight the need for more reliable rail service.
“You’re talking about seven trains full of people heading south, and about the same amount of trains of people heading north yesterday,” said Gary Prophet, president of the Empire State Passengers Association.
The ESPA advocates for expanding improved public transit in the state. Prophet was disappointed in an alternative which involves Grand Central Station as a final destination not being tapped into.
“Anything on the upper West Side or in Manhattan that is on the Amtrak-only line, which is called the Empire Connection into Penn Station, anything that affects that line doesn’t affect Metro North,” Prophet said.
Amtrak could not be reached to answer questions on Monday.
Instead, Amtrak rolled out a workaround Monday to ease the disruption. It involved passengers like Bossart hopping on a connecting Metro North train at the Croton-Harmon station to finish their journey to the Big Apple or Albany.
“They’ve been super helpful," Bossart said. "Someone just came up to me and asked me if I knew everything that was going on, if I needed any help. It was great.”
And she, fortunately, didn’t miss any work or prior engagements in the city.
“I’m a New Yorker now, so we make it work,” Bossart said.
It wasn't such an easy go for other passengers.
One woman spotted getting out of a New York City cab said she paid more than $350 to get back home to Albany.