» Plans For New Schenectady Station Advance

Engineering and architectural firm Kise Straw & Kolodner presented a design for Schenectady Amtrak station improvements at a May 17th public community workshop. The design unveiling was the second step in a process which began last November when Schenectadians were asked to give their opinion on three design options.

The design offered is a rebuilt brick station at the current location with a footprint 150 % of the current station size. Included in this two-story design is an enclosed connector to State Street and retail space.  At State Street, a new bus stop connects travelers to the Capital District Transportation Authority’s four–county service. This design was favored by the vast majority of citizens attending last November’s meeting.

The current Amtrak station is built on a portion of the former 1906 Schenectady Union Station site owned by the New York Central Railroad and also used by the Delaware & Hudson Railroad.  That station was torn down in 1972. The current station hosts six trains daily.

Architectural elements of the new station reflect many of the design characteristics of the demolished station including arched glass windows and street side canopy.

The station improvement project is funded by part of a $1.1million federal grant secured by local congressman Michael McNulty. The grant is being managed by the Capital District Transportation Authority which built and owns the Rensselaer train station and managed the overhaul of the Saratoga Springs train station. The regional transportation improvement plan calls for up to $6.8 million, including state and federal funding, to be spent on Schenectady station improvements in 2008 and 2009.

The project enjoys wide public support through a project advisory committee which includes the NYS Transportation Department, Amtrak, the Schenectady County Chamber of Commerce, the City of Schenectady and Metroplex – a County level economic development agency.

The consultant firm said it would proceed to the final design stage and work on required environmental and permit procedures. It is expected that the first step in the project will be improvements to the railroad viaduct which carries trains past the station.

July 2007