Rhinecliff–Kingston station

Rhinecliff, NY
Amtrak intercity rail station
View looking south down platforms from road overpass to former ferry landing.
Location Hutton and Charles Streets
Rhinecliff, NY 12574
Coordinates 41°55′17″N 73°57′05″W / 41.921277°N 73.951379°W / 41.921277; -73.951379Coordinates: 41°55′17″N 73°57′05″W / 41.921277°N 73.951379°W / 41.921277; -73.951379
Owned by Amtrak
Line(s) Empire Corridor (Hudson Subdivision)
Platforms 1 island platform
Tracks 2
Construction
Disabled access Yes
Other information
Station code RHI
History
Opened 1914
Rebuilt 2011
Traffic
Passengers (2017) 201,667[1] Decrease 0.4%
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station
toward Montreal
Adirondack
toward New York
Empire Service
toward Rutland
Ethan Allen Express
Maple Leaf
toward Chicago
Lake Shore Limited
Former services
Preceding station   Conrail   Following station
Barrytown
toward Albany
Hudson Line
Until 1981
Staatsburgh
New York Central Railroad
toward Chicago
Main Line
toward New York
Barrytown
toward Chicago
Staatsburgh
toward New York
Official name Rhinecliff New York Central Railroad Station
Designated December 14, 1990
Part of Hudson River Historic District
Reference no. 90002219[2]
Architectural style Mission-Spanish Revival

Rhinecliff–Kingston, commonly and formerly known as simply Rhinecliff, is a train station located in Rhinebeck, New York. It serves northern Dutchess County and the nearby Kingston area across the Hudson River.

Rhinecliff station is somewhat popular with owners of weekend homes in the area as well as some commuters who prefer Amtrak's service to that of Metro-North's out of Poughkeepsie. These riders, along with students and others going to and from nearby Bard College, made Rhinecliff the 46th-busiest Amtrak station in 2004 with 86,466 boardings.[3] Occasional suggestions to bring Metro-North service to Rhinecliff have been stalled by community opposition and track ownership issues.

Original station building, still in use.

Though the station's name implies an easy connection to Kingston and vicinity, usually only taxicabs serve the station from Kingston. However, it is the closest station to the Kingston–Rhinecliff Bridge. A Kingston–Rhinecliff Ferry began providing service between the two communities in July 2015. The Kingston–Rhinecliff Ferry allows easy access to Kingston from Rhinecliff and vice versa.[4] The next-closest Hudson River crossings are in Hudson, about 30 minutes north; and Poughkeepsie, about the same distance to the south. Both Hudson and Poughkeepsie have their own Amtrak stations.

The station building was built by the New York Central Railroad in 1914, in the Mission-Spanish Revival style similar to the next station down the line at Hyde Park. Like much of the hamlet of Rhinecliff, it is a contributing property to the Hudson River Historic District.

Amtrak service

All trains heading southbound from Rhinecliff–Kingston terminate at Penn Station in New York City, while all northbound trains besides the Lake Shore Limited stop at Hudson and Albany–Rensselaer before diverting.

Station layout

The station has one low-level island platform that serves two tracks. Track 1 is normally used by northbound trains heading to Albany and beyond and Track 2 is normally used by trains heading south to New York. Passengers board/disembark the trains using stools that the conductors and station staff connect to the train. There is also an unused second platform, connected to the first via an overpass.

Rhinecliff-Kingston station platform
1F Crossover Transfer between platforms
P
Track 1 ← Adirondack, Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Maple Leaf, Lake Shore Limited toward New York–Penn Station (Poughkeepsie)
Island platform, doors will open on the left or right
Track 2 Adirondack toward Montreal (Hudson) →
Empire Service toward Albany–Rensselaer or Niagara Falls, NY (Hudson) →
Ethan Allen Express toward Rutland (Hudson) →
Maple Leaf toward Toronto (Hudson) →
Lake Shore Limited toward Chicago (Albany–Rensselaer) →
Street level Exit/entrance, station house, parking

References

  1. ↑ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2017, State of New York" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  2. ↑ "NPS Focus". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
  3. ↑ TABLE 1-8 Top 50 Amtrak Stations by Number of Boardings: Fiscal Year 2004, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, accessed November 8, 2006
  4. ↑ http://www.krferry.com
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