Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Elise Stefanik wrote to President and Chief Executive Officer of Amtrak Stephen J. Gardner calling on him to resume Amtrak’s Adirondack line from Albany to Montreal that has been paused since the onset of the pandemic.
This letter follows Stefanik’s office’s discussions with Amtrak starting in May, when Amtrak indicated that staffing shortages no longer posed an issue to resume service. Now that Amtrak has restored travel for the Maple Leaf train from New York City to Toronto, there should be no reason not to resume service from Albany to Montreal.
“I write to you today urging Amtrak to immediately resume rail operations on the Adirondack line between Albany and Montreal, which runs through the 21st Congressional District of New York. The Adirondack line is a vital economic driver for Upstate New York and the North Country. However, Amtrak has yet to resume service on the Adirondack after ceasing operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Stefanik said.
In the letter, Stefanik points out that it is unacceptable that Amtrak has not resumed service of the Adirondack line, even though Canadian National is ready.
“Amtrak is a federally chartered corporation created and funded by Congress with the mission to serve the American people in cities, suburbs, and small towns across the country. It is frustrating to see the lack of service to the rural areas of Upstate New York. I urge you to take immediate action to resume normal rail service operations on the Adirondack between Albany and Montreal to provide New Yorkers with critical transportation,” Stefanik wrote.
Read the full letter here.
