NY: Hinchey, state lawmakers push for Metro-North extension to Albany, including Rhinecliff

State Sen. Michelle Hinchey and more than a dozen other state lawmakers are pushing to revive plans to extend Metro-North service to Albany that were shelved by Gov. Kathy Hochul in January.

Locally, the proposed extension would see Metro-North trains, which presently end at Poughkeepsie, stop at Rhinecliff and would also serve Hudson. Both stations presently only see Amtrak service, with tickets priced on a demand-based basis similar to airline tickets and requiring reservations. Metro-North, by contrast, has simpler off-peak and peak fares with no reservations required.

Hinchey, D- Saugerties, announced Monday that she signed a letter along with 17 other members of the state Senate asking Hochul to bring back plans for the Metro-North extension to Albany, which were scrapped in January. The letter was also addressed to Amtrak Board Chair Anthony Coscia, Metro-North President Justin R. Vonashek and MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber.

Hinchey appeared at a rally at the State Capitol on Monday alongside members of the Association of Commuter Rail Employees, the union representing Metro-North employees and the passenger rail advocacy group the Empire State Passengers Association.

Hinchey warned that shelving the plan will deprive upstate residents of the most affordable rail service in and out of New York City.

“We need more access to public transportation, especially in the Hudson Valley, and expanding train options through Metro-North is a great place to start,” Hinchey said in a prepared statement. “Metro-North is the most affordable, reliable, and flexible rail option around, and this expansion plan deserves to be back on the table because it’s good for everyone. It will make it easier for visitors to explore our towns and villages, driving economic value to upstate businesses, while our residents get better connections from the Capitol City, up and down the Hudson, and into New York City.”

“Keeping Metro-North expansion on the table must remain a top priority if we’re serious about addressing the longstanding inequities in public transit across our region,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter to Hochul.

Hinchey said the expansion would serve as a critical way to strengthen an Upstate and Downstate partnership.

“Instead of starting implementation and connection this spring, as originally planned, we’re here asking that conversations resume,” Hinchey said. “The delay only further inhibits progress and limits affordable options for New Yorkers. The need is there, the demand exists, and it’s the right thing to do. Let’s make it happen.”

The lawmakers’ push for the extension comes months after Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the proposed extension in October 2025 only to later walk it back in January after Amtrak announced the full restoration of service to Albany, which began in mid-March.

Three round-trip trains were annulled starting in spring 2025 to allow for the reconstruction of the East River Tunnels, which were damaged back in 2012 by Superstorm Sandy. Facing pressure from Hocul and other officials, Amtrak later restored one of the round-trips on Dec. 1, 2025.

Explaining the reasoning behind the state’s decision to scrap the Metro-North proposal, Hochul said in January that with the full restoration of the Empire Service, Amtrak notified New York State and the MTA that it will “no longer sanction” temporary Metro-North service to Albany at this time.

Officials from Amtrak could not immediately be reached on Monday for comment about lawmakers’ renewed push for a Metro-North extension to Albany.

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