Schenectady Station

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Schenectady is an Amtrak intercity train station in Schenectady, New York. The station is built under the railroad tracks with an elevator and staircase leading to a railway platform between the two tracks.HistorySchenectady Union Station closed in 1969 due to low ridership and was replaced with Colonie-Schenectady near NY-155 several miles to the east in Colonie. The Colonie-Schenectady station was a small building with a parking lot.In 1979, a new Schenectady station was built on the site of the former Union Station. It was made possible through a partnership among Amtrak, the State of New York and the City of Schenectady. The state funded the rehabilitation of the tracks at $3.9 million, while Amtrak paid two-thirds of the $881,000 cost of the depot with the state covering the rest. The city donated the land. Passengers were able to board at the new station beginning in October 1978, though no customer service agents were present until July 29, 1979, and the station did not fully open until August 8. The new station decimated ridership at Colonie-Schenectady, which was closed on September 9, 1979 to allow trains to operate at full speed between Albany and Schenectady.FutureA replacement structure known as the Schenectady Intermodal Station is planned to be built on the site of the existing station. It will serve both Amtrak and local transit service. The Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) received a US $4.2 million grant for the construction of the planned structure in October 2010.