Albany Light Rail

In the past, light rail service has been proposed for the city of Albany, New York. It was originally planned to connect the cities of Saratoga and Albany. That plan has now been eliminated for a more easily implemented route. The GO team has now eliminated the Light Rail plan for a Heavy Rail plan.

Proposed service
The light rail service would connect the Rensselaer Rail Station with downtown Albany and the Albany International Airport. In between those hubs, it would connect the Empire State Plaza, Albany Medical Center, the State Capitol, the Hudson Riverfront, the Harriman Campus, the University at Albany, Sematech, the bus station, the convention center, and the Times Union Center. After Phase 1 is completed, another phase connecting Queensbury, Saratoga, Troy and Schenectady will be constructed. Service may not be available to all above locations. Date of proposed service is unknown.

Recently, an alternative to light rail, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), has been adopted instead. It will travel along NY Route 5 (State Street/Central Avenue), between downtown Schenectady and downtown Albany. The reasoning is the lower construction and operating costs of BRT makes it much more cost-effective than light rail. The downside is that the light rail would probably carry more passengers. Albany officials are debating over light rail service to BRT. Albany will most likely get light rail service by the end of 2008.

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