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Gawking at the new Schenectady train station

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In a bit of a surprise the new Schenectady train station opened this past Wednesday, a few weeks ahead of the announced schedule. The $23 million station is the replacement for the old 1970s station that was demolished last year.

We had a few free minutes in downtown Schenectady today, so we stopped by to gawk at the station. It's small, but nice. And it has that new station smell.

We've included a handful of photos if you'd like to have a look.

The design is said to be inspired by the old-old Schenectady train station -- Schenectady Union Station, the one built in 1910 -- that was knocked down in 1971. For a while Schenectady's train service was moved to a stop in Colonie. See Carl's history of the demise of the old-old station.

As nice as the new station is, the best thing about it might be its location downtown just off the corner of Erie Boulevard and State Street. Of the Capital Region's four core cities, Schenectady is the only one that still has an operating train station right in its downtown. It's a reminder of what could have been for a place like Albany.

It's kind of great that you can walk to a train in the heart of Manhattan, say, and hop off right in downtown Schenectady and walk to a destination there.

Look up

Photos are at the top in large format -- click or scroll all the way up.

Comments

According to Amtrak dot com, a one-way ticket from ALB to SDY is $13 and takes about 24 minutes. That's a lot faster than the bus. Options are a good thing.

Looks exactly like Albany Rensselaer but smaller.

Very very nice.....beautiful design.....architects should be commended....hopefully will stand the test of time as we all know poor quality construction the norm in today’s world. Nonetheless as a resident of Albany I am extremely jealous that such a beautiful station sits right in the middle of the city......meanwhile we are going to get Gondolas!!!wtf!

I like this new amtrak Train Station a lot better then the old 1970s modern train station which was like something from a third world country, which was smaller that was falling apart. This new Amtrak Train Station, especially its interior, is like downtown Schenectady's smaller version of New York City's Grand Central Station because of its high ceilings and large arch windows. It now includes both stairs and elevator, the old 1979-era train Station only had an elevator, but no stairs to get to the trains.

If only we could get the trains to run on time, then we might have something.

Utica!

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For a decade All Over Albany was a place for interested and interesting people in New York's Capital Region. It was kind of like having a smart, savvy friend who could help you find out what's up. AOA stopped publishing at the end of 2018.

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