Empire State Passengers Association

10/23/2026

California High Speed Rail will vote next week to adopt a contract with Siemens for their American Pioneer 220 trainsets which would be built at the new Siemens Mobility plant in Horseheads, NY. This is the same type of trainset that Brightline West has ordered from the same facility in the Southern Tier.

CHSRA Board Meeting Agenda Item #4 for Oct 28th 2026
https://hsr.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/2026-10-28-Agenda-Item-4-Board-Memo-Trainsets-A11Y.pdf

California High Speed Rail Picks New 220mph Siemens Trainset
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJcSITwDdGQ

California High Speed Rail will vote next week to adopt a contract ...

10/21/2026

Aisha Adam Bechir, President of the SUNY Student Assembly interviews Bruce Becker, President of the Empire State Passengers Foundation at the at the 'Improving Passenger Rail in the Empire Corridor' symposium held in Rochester, NY on Wednesday, October 7th, 2026.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fml-hcixKMI

10/20/2026

Amtrak Service Advisory

Maple Leaf Service Adjustments Effective October 23 - 25, 2026

Due to planned infrastructure work in the Toronto area, the following service adjustments will be in effect for Maple Leaf service:

On October 23 - 25, Amtrak Train 63 & Connecting VIA Service Train 98 which normally operates between New York, NY (NYP) and Toronto, ON (TWO), will terminate at Niagara Falls, ON (NFS).

Bus 4498 will provide alternate transportation between Niagara Falls, ON (NFS) and Toronto, ON (TWO) making all stops except for Oakville, ON (OKL):

Depart Niagara Falls, ON (NFS) at 5:45 pm
Depart St. Catharines, ON (SCA) at 6:08 pm
Depart Grimsby, ON (GMS) at 6:27 pm
Depart Aldershot, ON (AST) at 7:04 pm
Arrive Toronto, ON (TWO) at 7:43 pm

On October 24 - 26, Amtrak Train 64 & Connecting VIA Service Train 97 which normally operates between Toronto, ON (TWO) and New York, NY (NYP), will originate at Niagara Falls, ON (NFS).

Bus 4497 will provide alternate transportation between Toronto, ON (TWO) and Niagara Falls, ON (NFS) making all stops except for Oakville, ON (OKL):

Depart Toronto, ON (TWO) at 8:20 am
Depart Aldershot, ON (AST) at 9:01 am
Depart Grimsby, ON (GMS) at 9:38 am
Depart St. Catharines, ON (SCA) at 9:58 am
Arrive Niagara Falls, ON (NFS) at 10:20 am

These bus substitutions should allow for the eastbound Maple Leaf, Amtrak Train 64 to depart Niagara Falls, NY on-time and any delays across upstate New York should be minimal.

10/18/2026

Panel Discussion: "Unlocking Rail Opportunities Across the Empire State: Students, Recreation, and Jobs" held at the 'Improving Passenger Rail in the Empire Corridor' symposium held in Rochester, NY on Wednesday, October 7th, 2026; featuring panelists:

Amorette Miller: Deputy Supervisor, Town of Greece
Jared Kraham: Mayor of the City of Binghamton
Aisha Adam Bechir: President, SUNY Student Assembly
Kyle Rosenthal: Founder, Sustain With Age (Consultancy)

Panel Discussion | Unlocking Rail Opportunities Across the Empire State Students, Recreation, & Jobs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpgvrxNlkck

Panel Discussion: "Unlocking Rail Opportunities Across the Empire S...

10/17/2026

MassDOT Wins More Federal Funds to Build Springfield Amtrak Station Expansion Project | The proposed new tracks and platforms at Springfield Union Station are necessary for the Commonwealth's plans to run more passenger rail service between Boston and western Massachusetts.

The proposed new tracks and platforms at Springfield Union Station are necessary for the Commonwealth's plans to run more passenger rail service between Boston and western Massachusetts.

10/16/2026

With summer over, many may think that passenger demand has decreased on the Empire Corridor. As of tonight (Thursday), here are the the sold out trains, just this weekend, which is a non-holiday weekend and actually much few sold out trains than last weekend.
Empire Corridor Trains Sold out, as of Thur, Oct 15, 2026:
Fri, Oct 16: 63 69 281 233 283 291 235 49 237 239 241 280 284 290 48 244
Sat, Oct 17: 63 69 281 233
Sun, Oct 18: 63 69 281 233 283 291 49 280 240 238 284 290 48 244 64 68
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With so many trains sold out, passengers are locked out from departing NYC on Fridays and Saturday mornings and locked out from returning to NYC from Albany on Sundays after 9am.

10/15/2026

Presentation on the Transit Costs Project's 'Momentum' report by Zhexuan Franklin Tang from the NYU Marron Institute at the 'Improving Passenger Rail in the Empire Corridor' symposium held in Rochester, NY on Wednesday, October 7th, 2026.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsi7asWnufA

Presentation on the Transit Costs Project's 'Momentum' report by Zh...

10/14/2026

Laser focused, and right on track ⚡🍂 The leaves are falling, and the Laser Train is on the move! Here's how we're keeping trains running smoothly this fall. 🍁
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMF8DXnmJYE

The leaves are falling, and the Laser Train is on the move! Here's...

10/14/2026

Save the dates and make your Thanksgiving Holiday special this year.

Full information at https://www.cpkcr.com/en/community/HolidayTrain

10/13/2026

ReThinkNYC and other allies joined the High Speed Rail Alliance to discuss the potential to convert commuter rail operations at New York Penn Station to a through-running model, which is favored in the Federal Railroad Administration guidelines and acknowledged as the international gold standard for commuter rail.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkga8ni-O8E&t=3700s

Speakers: Karim Ahmed, Scott Bernstein, Dr. Robert Paaswell, Samuel...