RHINECLIFF, N.Y. — Town of Rhinebeck Supervisor Elizabeth Spinzia expressed optimism this week following a joint public open house hosted by Amtrak and the New York State Department of Transportation
Spinzia, who is not running for reelection this fall, called any public progress on the long-delayed overhaul of the historic Rhinecliff train station a step in the right direction.
“I have been living the daily dramatic story of Amtrak/NYSDOT and their quest to renovate our historic station since 2014 and have a great relationship with the folks at Amtrak,” Spinzia said.
The $28 million modernization project, which recently overcame a brief federal funding pause earlier this year, centers on major structural, operational, and accessibility overhauls at the busy Hudson Valley rail hub.
The project is due to be completed by 2030, according to state officials. “Any public information is good; this sort of project — (hybrid) Amtrak/NYS/Federal Government is fraught with regulations, oversight, and timing. I’m very much looking to an updated Rhinecliff Station within my lifetime,” Spinzia added.
State transportation officials and rail representatives previously outlined several key infrastructure improvements designed to improve passenger safety, efficiency, and full ADA compliance:
Platform Replacement: Installing a new 1,000-foot-long, ADA-compliant high-level platform to replace the deteriorating low-level structure and eliminate the need for boarding step stools.
Pedestrian Crossover: Constructing a brand-new pedestrian bridge just north of the current location, equipped with new elevators, stairways, and an internal ramp for full mobility access.
Building & Site Repairs: Rehabilitating the historic station’s interior and exterior, improving site drainage to combat persistent parking lot flooding, repaving parking lots, and adding modern ADA-compliant signage and lighting.
Track & Interlocking Work: Executing realigned track pathways, signal upgrades, and installing a new interlocking south of the station at Control Point 88 to boost operational speeds and system flexibility.
Feedback gathered during the recent open house will be factored into the ongoing engineering and environmental review stages as NYSDOT and Amtrak finalize project milestones and construction timelines.
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