Passenger rail service between Montreal and NYC was suspended following the CN-Amtrak deal

MONTREAL — Passenger trains will not run between Montreal and New York City for the next six weeks due to maintenance after Amtrak struck a deal with Canadian National Railway Co.

American Railway schedules show service from Manhattan on the so-called Adirondack Line between May 20 and June 30 – just before peak season – to no further than the city of Saratoga Springs in the state New York will lead.

In an email, Amtrak and CN said they signed an agreement on Saturday that would provide for an undisclosed “settlement payment” to be handed over to Canada’s largest freight railroad, which owns the tracks north of the border. CN will then use these funds to perform work “for the benefit of (Amtrak)” along the Canadian Adirondack Route corridor.

“Adirondack service may be subject to short-term changes in the coming weeks to ensure completion of track work, which will help increase service reliability during the summer months of this year and into the future,” the two organizations said.

They confirmed the six-week time frame for canceled train trips. Customers said in online posts they received refunds from Amtrak.

The route is no stranger to disruption. In 2020, traffic between Montreal and New York City came to a standstill for three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. By then, more than 110,000 passengers had jumped on board each year, according to advocacy group the Rail Passengers Association.

A few months after restoring the line, Amtrak announced last June that it would again suspend service on the CN-owned portion of the line due to speed restrictions caused by summer heat, which can cause buckling in the steel rails.

The American rail giant said at the time that “inconsistent application” of CN’s heat ordering policy could leave customers stranded or subject to delays of up to three hours.

Amtrak had cited the 10 mph speed limit that CN applies to all trains – including its own freight cars – on various sections of the route, including the roughly 60-kilometer stretch from Montreal to the U.S. border whenever temperatures reach 30° C The route Amtrak runs between New York City and upstate is of higher quality and therefore subject to fewer speed limits amid the summer heat.

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Montreal-based CN pointed this out, saying Amtrak has failed to pay for upgrades that would allow the route to withstand rising summer temperatures.

“This track work will help mitigate, but not eliminate, slow heat speed limits in the future,” the two railways said on Saturday.

The pending suspension means service will be suspended to nine stops, including Montreal and Plattsburgh and Ticonderoga in New York, Amtrak said.

Train travel between the country’s second-largest city and America’s largest city can be booked starting June 30.

“CN has been planning the work for several months and will endeavor to carry out the necessary work quickly and safely in 2024,” the two railways said.

While buses may lack the romance of train travel, passengers can still get from Montreal to New York by following the words of pianist Billy Joel and “taking a Greyhound on the Hudson River line.” Megabus also offers daily services between the two cities.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 18, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:CNR)

Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press