Amtrak extends suspension of Adirondack Line until September

The Adirondack Line will be closed until September for track work that was originally scheduled to last only 6 weeks. (File photo)

Amtrak has extended the suspension of service on the Adirondack Line through September as Canadian National Railway works to resolve the issues that led to the suspension of service last summer.

The Northern Country Chamber of Commerce issued a statement expressing frustration with Amtrak. Chamber President and CEO Garry Douglas said the service was only supposed to last six weeks, but now the work is expected to take most of the summer.

In a statement, Douglas said: “Unfortunately, we can only accept this comedy of mismanagement and hope that the goal of a resolution by early September is realistic this time. Tourists, students and others continue to show that they are ready to return to worship and miss it, but it’s like Charlie Brown with Lucy and the football. And so we lose another summer that clearly didn’t need to happen.”

Last summer, problems with the railroads north of the border led to a 10 mph speed limit when temperatures rose above 80 degrees F. Costly delays forced Amtrak to suspend service until temperatures cooled.

Douglas criticized Canadian National for not addressing the rail issues sooner. He said: “You shut down a rail service for three years during the pandemic and well beyond, but you don’t use that time to address conditions. Then you restart service in April 2023, only to discover a few months later what appears to be a heat-related problem with the rail that led to the shutdown last summer. Then you wait almost until the summer of 2024 to make a repair agreement that will now take three months instead of the six weeks announced.”

In a statement, Amtrak said: “Amtrak is extending the change of Adirondack Service between New York City and Saratoga Springs through Sunday, September 8, as CN continues to perform track work on its line in Canada. We apologize to our customers for any inconvenience.”

Rep. Billy Jones said the inconsistency is frustrating. Jones said, “When they made an announcement 6 weeks ago, whenever that announcement was, saying they had come to an agreement, we thought Amtrak and CN had come to an agreement. Things were going well. They had to do a little work on the tracks. And by the beginning of July, everything was supposed to be fine. That’s not the case now. They just seem to be doing one thing after another. That’s frustrating to me. It’s frustrating for the local officials here and most importantly, their customers.”