This past week Amtrak suspended travel between Albany and New York because of a deteriorating parking garage in Hell’s Kitchen. Service has resumed, but it’s a reminder of how fragile infrastructure can be in the United States. This is also the second time in about a year that a privately-owned building threatened the Empire Corridor, and the last time it happened it nearly wrecked my vacation plans.
Back in August 2022, I needed a break, and I drew up a plan to visit my sister up in northern New York and a friend in Boston. I’d take the first Burlington-bound Ethan Allen Express up to Middlebury, where my sister could pick me. After a few days, take the Essex-Charlotte ferry over to Vermont, and take the Ethan Allen Express back down to New York City. A day or two in Brooklyn, then an Acela round-trip to Boston.
The first portent of doom was waking up to see a missed call from Amtrak. Amtrak doesn’t call me unless there’s a problem with my train: