Amtrak says that it has restored service west of Albany effective immediately, after suspending service last Friday due to a potential safety concern involving a privately owned building located near the tracks.
Amtrak says that its crews – in partnership with the City of Albany, the NYS Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, and NYSDOT - worked together to ensure the area is safe to travel through, by conducting several construction and clean-up initiatives.
City officials in Albany were concerned about the stability of the privately-owned Central Warehouse; a massive, old building north of the city's downtown. That had affected Empire Service going west from Albany through cities such as Utica, Syracuse and Rochester.
Service has been restored after work on the building which included removing the smokestack, loose concrete, debris on the ground and other parts of the south wall and stabilizing the interior of the building.
Officials say that the completion of this work allowed the resumption of Amtrak's scheduled train operations with a speed restriction through the area.
You can follow Amtrak on Twitter, @AmtrakNECAlerts for up to date information as well as Amtrak.com
This story includes reporting from the Associated Press.
