Local and regional leaders are calling for answers after a $28 million federal grant for the Rhinecliff Amtrak Station was put under review by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and U.S. Rep. Pat Ryan sent a letter to Federal Railroad Administration Administrator David Armstrong Fink, calling for an explanation of the review, a stop to delays and release of the funding, especially with construction anticipated to start soon.
“This is bureaucratic failure at its worst: eleventh-hour unexplained delays from the Trump administration risk years of progress to repair the Rhinecliff train station — right as this sorely needed upgrade was set to begin construction,” Schumer said in a statement. “It is unacceptable to pause a grant with no explanation and leave community leaders and commuters completely in the dark on the future of the project.”
The station, lawmakers claim, is one of New York’s busiest, but over the past 15 years it has deteriorated, while also needing federally mandated ADA-compliant infrastructure upgrades and modernizations.
“Pausing this critical project, without warning or explanation, is a slap in the face to our Hudson Valley community,” Ryan said.
Local leaders fear the project, dubbed the “Rhinecliff Station High Level Platform, Vertical Circulation and Interlocking Project,” is at risk of falling through after years of progress.
“Many people from Amtrak, New York State, and federal officials have dedicated years to developing a cohesive plan for the restoration and repairs to the station, tracks, and platform,” Rhinebeck Town Supervisor Elizabeth Spinzia said in a statement. “To have President Trump abruptly stall the project with no explanation is a mindboggling, callous betrayal.”
Dutchess County Executive Sue Serino said in a statement the county was disappointed when they learned about the pause and encouraged the U.S. Department of Transportation and FRA to complete their review as soon as possible to resume the project.
“This important project would fix long-standing ADA issues, improve the passenger experience at the station, and improve operations with track and signal operations,” Serino said.
New York State Senator Michelle Hinchey said she is under the impression the Rhinecliff Amtrak Station “cannot continue in its current state, reduced to temporary structures awaiting construction,” and its construction must begin promptly.
What needs to be fixed at the Rhinecliff Amtrak Station?
According to Spinzia, the Town of Rhinebeck has been working on this since 2015. There are many who rely on the station, she said, but “it’s literally crumbling due to neglect.”
In 2020, Schumer visited the station to call on Amtrak to perform renovations, ADA compliance and infrastructure upgrades, and to push for federal funding, in an effort to provide a more modern, accessible station.
“The Rhinecliff Station project is the product of years of community advocacy and bipartisan partnership at the local, state, and federal level,” Ryan said.
According to Schumer and Ryan’s letter, the New York State Department of Transportation was awarded the $28 million via the FRA’s Federal-State Partnership for State of Good Repair Program to fund replacement of the existing low-level platform.
The existing 520-foot low-level platform currently requires passengers to use a step stool to transition from the platform, and the goal is to get a new, longer high-level platform.
Additionally, the funding would be used for track and signal work, such as a new interlocking south of the station, and construction of new access to the platform, including stairs, elevators and a pedestrian bridge.
How busy is Rhinecliff Amtrak Station?
According to an Amtrak Fact Sheet from the 2019 fiscal year, the Rhinecliff Station serviced 211,139 passengers, the fourth highest following Penn Station, the Albany-Rensselaer Station and the Hudson Station.
The station, 90 miles north of New York City, serves 26 Amtrak trains daily.
“The Rhinecliff Train Station is a vital transportation link, connecting thousands of people from the Hudson Valley to New York City and everywhere in between,” Hinchey said. “It’s also a critical economic engine, driving millions of dollars in economic benefits for the region.”
What does the letter to the FRA say?
Schumer and Ryan said in the letter they have “serious concerns” regarding the review and are requesting “immediate transparency” on the status, as well as the scope of it.
They specifically requested who initiated this review and why it is being conducted now, the process and procedures being used to review the grant award, a timeline for the review’s completion, the criteria, standards, or concerns being applied in the evaluation, in addition to whether a review like this for a similar project is being done elsewhere and if so, the specific project locations.
The two said the cancellation of the meetings has caused “major concern in the community,” including the residents and commuters who deserve answers and depend on the station.
Calling it a “vital component of the Hudson Valley’s transportation infrastructure,” Schumer and Ryan said the accessibility improvements would support expanded service for Amtrak’s Empire Corridor but also increase daily round-trip service from the city to Albany.
“The Rhinecliff Station project was awarded through a competitive, merit-based process focused on rehabilitating our nation’s aging rail infrastructure and improving passenger service,” Schumer and Ryan state. “Further delay will jeopardize the much-needed repairs for this historic station that Hudson Valley commuters and visitors rely on.”
What happens next?
In the last line of the letter, Schumer and Ryan request a written response from the FRA no later than April 23.
“We will keep fighting to make sure the Hudson Valley gets all the federal resources it was promised to make Rhinecliff Train Station the modern transportation hub commuters deserve,” Schumer said.
Nickie Hayes is Breaking & Trending News Reporter for the Poughkeepsie Journal. See her most recent articles here. Contact reporter Nickie Hayes: NHayes@poughkee.gannett.com, 845-863-3518 and @nickieehayess on Instagram.