Empire Service

Empire Service

An Empire Service train passing through Briarcliff Manor, New York in June 2023.
Overview
Service type	Inter-city rail
Locale	New York
Predecessor	New York Central corridor trains
First service	December 3, 1967 (1967-12-03)
Current operator(s)	Amtrak in partnership with NYSDOT
Former operator(s)	New York Central Railroad (1967–1968) Penn Central (1968–1971)
Annual ridership	1,244,276 (Albany–NYC, FY23) 22.0%[a][1] 452,711 (Toronto–Albany, FY23) 17.6%[a][1][b]
Route
Termini	Niagara Falls, New York New York City, New York
Stops	16
Distance travelled	460 miles (740 km)
Average journey time	8 hours, 51–58 minutes[2]
Service frequency	Twelve daily round trips (Albany–NYC) Three daily round trips (Niagara Falls–NYC)
Train number(s)	230, 232–241, 243–245, 250, 252–253, 256–257, 259–261, 280–281, 283–284
On-board services
Class(es)	Coach Class Business Class
Disabled access	All cars, all stations
Catering facilities	Café car
Baggage facilities	Overhead racks
Technical
Rolling stock	Amfleet coaches
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Operating speed	52 mph (84 km/h) (avg.) 110 mph (180 km/h) (top)
Track owner(s)	MNRR, Amtrak, CSX
Route map Legend Maple Leaf to Toronto 461 mi 742 km Niagara Falls, New York 437 mi 703 km Buffalo–Exchange Street Lake Shore Limited to Chicago 431 mi 694 km Buffalo–Depew 370 mi 595 km Rochester State Fairgrounds (events only) 291 mi 468 km Syracuse 250 mi 402 km Rome 237 mi 381 km Utica 177 mi 285 km Amsterdam Adirondack to Montreal Ethan Allen Express to Burlington 159 mi 256 km Schenectady Hudson River 141 mi 227 km Albany–Rensselaer Lake Shore Limited to Boston Berkshire Flyer to Pittsfield 114 mi 183 km Hudson 100 mi 161 km Rhinecliff 80 mi 129 km Poughkeepsie 40 mi 64 km Croton–Harmon 18 mi 29 km Yonkers Northeast Corridor to Washington 0 mi 0 km New York City Northeast Corridor to Boston All stations are accessible This diagram: view talk edit

The Empire Service is an inter-city rail service operated by Amtrak within the state of New York in the United States. The brand name originated with the New York Central Railroad in 1967. Trains on the line provide frequent daily service along the 460-mile (740 km) Empire Corridor between New York City and Niagara Falls via Albany, the state capital.

During fiscal year 2018, the Empire Service carried 1,150,498 passengers on the line between New York City and Albany, while services between Albany and points west, including the Maple Leaf and Lake Shore Limited, carried an additional 366,696.^[3] Ticket revenue on the New York City–Albany section in FY2016 was $49,361,545, an increase of 1.4% from FY2015, while revenue on the Albany–Toronto route was $22,143,803.^[4]

Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).