ALBANY, N.Y. — Amtrak and Canadian National Railway have reached agreement on track maintenance in Canada to avoid a repeat of the issues that sidelined Adirondack service last summer, U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) announced today (Friday, May 17).
Trackwork on the CN portion of the Adirondack route in Canada will be performed during the upcoming suspension of service north of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., which begins May 20 [see “Adirondack to be cancelled in northern New York state, Canada …,” Trains News Wire, May 9, 2024]. This should address the heat-related track problems that caused service to Montreal to be suspended for 79 days beginning last June 24 after CN imposed a 10-mph slow order in Canada [see “CN, Amtrak disagree on payments, heat orders …,” News Wire, June 29, 2024].
“This result will allow tourism to flourish through the summer months, strengthening economic development in the region and our partnership with our Canadian neighbors,” Stefanik said in a press release.
Garry Douglas, president of the North Country Chamber of Commerce, said the agreement will allow “the heat-related challenges … north of the border to be fully resolved so that, when service resumes at the end of June, we should see no more rail-condition interruptions for hopefully years to come.”
The Sun Community Newspaper of Plattsburgh, N.Y., quotes a joint statement from Amtrak and CN saying they are “pleased to have resolved the service issues associated with the Adrondack line between Rouses Point, N.Y., and Montreal’s Central Station. In an agreement signed today, Amtrak will make a payment to CN and CN has agreed to use the settlement payment to undertake track work on its Rouses Point Subdivision for Amtrak’s benefit. This track work will help mitigate, but not eliminate, heat slow-order speed limits going forward. CN has been planning the work for several months and will endeavor to make the necessary work expeditiously and safely in 2024.
“Adirondack service may be modified on a short-term basis in the coming weeks to ensure completion of the track work, which will help increase reliability of the service during summer months this year, and in the future.”
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