PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The new seasonal rail service between Pittsfield, Mass., and New York City is scheduled to operate during summer weekends this year and again in 2023. Amtrak and local transportation officials will evaluate the demand, determining if the pilot project should be continued.
“We are pleased to work together with our partner agencies to run passenger train service between Pittsfield and New York City on weekends during the busiest tourist times this summer,” Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker Jr. says in a statement. “Western Massachusetts and the Berkshire Region offer a whole host of cultural and recreational opportunities during the summer, and we hope this pilot service will encourage even more visitors to this part of our state.”
The Berkshire Flyer will depart New York City’s Pennsylvania Station at 3:16 p.m. on Fridays and arrive at Joseph Scelsi Intermodal Transportation Center in Pittsfield at 7:12 p.m.
Station stops for the Flyer will be the same as Amtrak’s Empire Service — in New York: Yonkers, Croton-Harmon, Poughkeepsie, Rhinecliff, Hudson, and Albany-Rensselaer. The Sunday return trip will depart from Pittsfield at 3 p.m. and arrive in New York at 7:05 p.m. The same stations will be served on the return trip.
Amtrak will off Berkshire Flyer passengers the same amenities as it does on its other trains.
Amtrak, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, and the New York State Department of Transportation worked with CSX Transportation to prepare the pilot service after an agreement was reached to use CSX tracks.
Tickets will be available later in May on Amtrak.com.
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