Infrastructure Renewal at New York Penn Station

Amtrak Continues Next Phase of New York Penn Station Infrastructure Renewal Work

Amtrak is continuing its work to renew the infrastructure at New York Penn Station. In 2018, Amtrak engineering crews will replace two tracks and three turnouts at Penn Station. This work is part of Amtrak’s ongoing maintenance program to improve New York Penn Station’s infrastructure operations performance and reliability.

What does this mean for my commute?

While the bulk of the renewal work for 2018 will occur on weekends, there will be a series of continuous single-track closures within the Station from January 5, 2018 through May 28, 2018, which will require minor modifications to Amtrak and commuter train weekday operations at New York Penn Station. Amtrak is working with NJ TRANSIT and Long Island Rail Road on an overall service plan that minimizes the impact to all New York Penn Station customers to the greatest extent possible.

The following schedule changes will take place during the renewal work (weekdays January 8 - May 28, 2018):

  • Amtrak is cancelling Northeast Regional Trains 110 from Washington, DC (WAS) to New York Penn Station (NYP) and 127 from NYP to WAS
  • Northbound Keystone Train 640 will terminate at Newark Penn Station
  • Southbound Keystone Train 643 will originate at Newark Penn Station
  • Southbound Train 173 will stop at Newark Airport
  • Southbound Trains 129, 193 and 653 will all have earlier departure times.
  • Train 170 will also depart WAS early, stop at North Philadelphia and Cornwells Heights and resume its schedule from Trenton
  • Long Island Rail Road and NJ TRANSIT are also expected to announce service schedule adjustments

How do I stay informed?

Amtrak, LIRR and NJ TRANSIT will each assume responsibility for helping their passengers navigate any changes in service or schedule. Amtrak is making every effort to make sure its customers have the information they need to get to and from their destinations.

  • To check the status of your train or to modify existing reservations, visit Amtrak.com or the Amtrak mobile app
  • Opt-in to email or text alerts when booking your trip to be notified of real-time delays
  • Follow @AmtrakNEC, @NJTransit, and @LIRR for timely updates about New York Penn Station

What’s the next project in the Infrastructure Renewal Program?

Amtrak will continue its Infrastructure Renewal Program this summer by performing critical reconstruction of three major railroad infrastructure assets in New York City: The Empire Tunnel and Spuyten Duyvil Bridge, which provides train access between Upstate New York and New York Penn Station, as well as renewal work on Track 19 in New York Penn Station.

Due to the work on the Empire Connection and Spuyten Duyvil Bridge, Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Adirondack and Maple Leaf trains will all be rerouted from New York Penn Station to Grand Central Terminal between Saturday, May 26, and Tuesday, September 4. The Lake Shore Limited will only operate between Boston and Chicago, with New York City and Hudson Valley customers connecting from Empire Service trains at Albany-Rensselaer.

While the schedules have yet to be finalized, there will be less service impacts and schedule changes compared to Summer 2017. The work on Track 19 will occur between Friday, June 8 and Friday, July 20. The modified schedule Amtrak announced in January 2018 will continue until the work on Track 19 is complete. LIRR and NJ TRANSIT will each assume responsibility for helping their passengers navigate any changes in service or schedule, if they have any as a result of this work.

The Infrastructure Renewal Program is one element of Amtrak’s plan to modernize stations, infrastructure and equipment on the Northeast Corridor. 

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