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Metro-North Railroad will soon connect New York City to Upstate New York with the debut of a daily round trip between Grand Central Terminal and Albany. Starting in spring 2026, MTA Metro-North trains will run along the Hudson Line from Manhattan to Albany-Rensselaer. One train each day will depart mid-morning from Grand Central, travel through the scenic Hudson Valley, and return from Albany in the afternoon. This will be the first time Metro-North has ever run in the Capital Region and the first of its kind in 60 years. The New York Central Railroad, Metro-North’s predecessor, previously ran service on the Hudson Line to Albany until 1967. Officials said fares will be competitive with the low end of current Amtrak prices, making last-minute trips upstate more affordable. Trains will start to make test runs later this year. Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the expansion earlier this month alongside Metro-North Railroad President Justin Vonashek and Amtrak President Roger Harris. The new service aims to fill a gap left by Amtrak’s cancellation or consolidation of three weekday trips last May to allow long-delayed repairs to the East River Tunnels, damaged by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. In addition, Amtrak will restore one daily round-trip between Penn Station and Albany starting Dec. 1. During this period of reduced service, Amtrak will offer a first-of-its-kind price cap on coach seats at $99, down from recent dynamic pricing that has pushed fares to $109. “Restoring Amtrak service and debuting Metro-North service to Albany is a huge win for riders. The Empire Service is vital to communities along the Hudson River,” Governor Hochul said. Amtrak has been the only passenger train running between New York City and Albany since the 1970s. The Empire Service is the company’s fifth-busiest route in the country, the Times-Union reported.
