Rensselaer Station/Albany-Schenectady Track Enhancements

Amtrak’s ninth busiest station in the country — the Rensselaer Rail Station — is a high-speed rail system connecting New York City, Albany, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, and Niagara Falls. Transporting over 830,000 passengers annually, Amtrak sought to spur ridership through increased operational efficiency and reliability.

Focusing on reducing delays, our team provided design, permitting, and construction inspection for the $50 million station redevelopment, including a new fourth track, switch and signal improvements, and high-level platform expansions. The $91 million track improvements laid the framework for the future high-speed capacity improvement component, adding a new second main track, switch and signal upgrades, and significant grading, drainage, crossing, bridge and culvert improvements. CHA’s innovative methods realigned the track within existing rights-of-way and used camera and data extraction technology to record current train movement. The additional track capacity eliminated delays at the station terminal, ensuring a seamless transportation interface while achieving optimum operational speeds.