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This scenic train through the Adirondacks officially returns on April 4!

It’s been rated as one of the most scenic train rides in the world.

Shaye Weaver
Written by
Shaye Weaver
Editor, Time Out New York
Amtrak's Ethan Allen Express, between NYC and Vermont
Photograph: Courtesy Creative Commons/Flickr/Brian Geltner
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An Amtrak train route that has been named one of the “Top 10 Most Scenic Train Rides in the World” by National Geographic is coming back after a three-year pause.

Adirondak service resumed just to Albany on December 5, but when it returns on April 4, it’ll offer a beautiful ride through the mountains, from NYC’s Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station all the way to Montreal, Quebec’s Gare Centrale/Central Station, covering 400 miles in 10 hours.

RECOMMENDED: I took the new, 8-hour Amtrak train to Burlington, Vermont. Here’s why it was worth it.

According to the Montreal Gazette, it’ll stop at Yonkers, Croton-Harmon, Poughkeepsie, Rhinecliff, Hudson, Albany-Rensselaer, Schenectady, Saratoga Springs, Fort Edward, Whitehall, Ticonderoga, Port Henry, Westport, Port Kent, Plattsburgh, Rouses Point, St-Lambert, Quebec, and Montreal. It’s a 10-hour ride from beginning to end but is worth it if you want your journey to be as scenic as your destination.

“Enjoy nature’s kaleidoscope of colors on the Adirondack … as you discover why hikers, leaf peepers and snow lovers make annual pilgrimages to Lake Champlain’s shores,” Amtrak’s Adirondack page reads. “Along the way, history comes alive in places like Saratoga Springs and Ticonderoga, while le enchantement of Montreal gives this journey a distinctively international flavor.”

The Gazette says it is “popular with Montrealers and New Yorkers.” In 2019, the route had 117,000 passengers, which was a 5% jump from the previous year. But it hasn’t stopped in Montreal since 2020, when it was shut down during the pandemic. Service to Albany only resumed in December 2022.

Adirondacks
Photograph: Shutterstock

The first northbound Adirondack train will depart Moynihan Train Hall at New York Penn Station at 8:41am on April 3 and scheduled to arrive at Montreal’s Central Station at 8:16pm. The first southbound train will leave Montreal at 11:10am on April 4, with a scheduled arrival in New York at 10:15pm, according to the Gazette.

Tickets are available now!

“Whether you’re experiencing the greatness of New York City, the culture of Montreal or the beauty of the Hudson Valley and Lake Champlain region, the return of the Adirondack provides customers with a reliable, relaxing and sustainable way to travel,” said Amtrak President Roger Harris.

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