Multimodal Station & Pedestrian Connector

In 2018, Montgomery County commissioned a multimodal feasibility study on behalf of the City of Amsterdam. The goal of the study was to find a feasible site to develop a new multimodal facility in downtown Amsterdam that can serve as a catalyst for economic growth.

The City of Amsterdam is planning to relocate the existing Amtrak station that is currently located outside of the downtown and establish a multimodal facility in the heart of the city. The new facility would provide space for all future transit needs, including rail, bus, car share services, taxi service, and bicycle/scooter facilities. The main train station hall would be fully integrated into the proposed pedestrian connector to the Mohawk Valley Gateway Overlook (MVGO) pedestrian bridge. This will create a nexus of transportation and development in the heart of downtown north of the tracks while linking to existing open spaces on the waterfront.

The critical link from the MVGO pedestrian bridge to the historic core of downtown Amsterdam is missing. There currently are very few options to get from the waterfront to downtown and the pedestrian connector to the MVGO would finally unlock the full potential of the waterfront. This pedestrian bridge will link the existing MVGO pedestrian bridge by crossing over the existing rail tracks and on-ramp to southbound NYS Route 30, and land at East Main Street.

As recommended by the multimodal study, the site requires the removal of NYS Route 5. The NYS Route 5 Removal project was included in the city’s Round 3 NYS Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) plan. The city is actively working with the NYS Department of Transportation (DOT) to complete this closure. 

The City of Amsterdam has been activating a variety of sites located within the downtown to advance DRI projects and a variety of other plans. The multimodal station and pedestrian connector align with the city’s complete streets initiative and redeveloping the downtown to enhance the pedestrian experience.

With the recent addition of CDTA services to Amsterdam, a multimodal station is needed now more than ever. The relocation of the Amtrak station to downtown is expected to aide in the increase of ridership and addition of routes. Due to the station location, current Amtrak riders do not have convenient access to retail, dining, or other services.

In 2022, the City of Amsterdam received Community Project Funding in the transformative omnibus spending bill to design the future multimodal station and pedestrian connector.