RENSSELAER, N.Y. — The last coffee counter candidates are sitting down for job interviews. Windows are being washed and magazine racks installed. All are part of a wave of finishing touches under way this week at the new Rensselaer rail station in preparation for Sunday’s first trains, according to the Albany Times-Union.
At 6 a.m., the first Empire Service train departs from the new station for New York City. The Maple Leaf, on its way to Toronto from New York City, is the first scheduled arrival at 10:15 a.m.
“It’s going to be very low-key on Sunday,” as Amtrak employees and passengers get the hang of operating out of the new $53.1 million station, said Amtrak spokeswoman Karina Van Veen.
The Capital District Transportation Authority, which built the station, is planning a more-festive ribbon-cutting and grand opening ceremony Monday or later in the week. But low-key or not, after nearly two years of delays and snags, Sunday’s actual opening is eagerly anticipated by Amtrak, CDTA and passengers.
“We’re looking forward to moving into that new station,” said Amtrak’s Van Veen.
“We’ll be ready. Gotta be,” said Carl Calicchia, CDTA’s manager of capital projects.
Calicchia was among CDTA staffers on site Monday as heating and air conditioning systems were set and final tests began on escalators, alarms, speakers and other systems throughout the building.
Meanwhile, a rebuilt Herrick Street automobile bridge stands ready to open Sunday. The new bridge, built as part of the station project by CDTA, will provide more direct access to the station and the adjacent garage and parking lots for motorists arriving from Albany.
Chris and Jack Koblensky of Clifton Park, who were at the old Amtrak station next door Monday to see their daughter off on her way home to New York City, said they look forward to launching their rail journeys from the new station.
“We are excited about having something new and modern — and a platform on the same level as the train,” said Chris Koblensky. “Now, when you have your suitcases and everything, you have to pull it all up the steps into the train.”
Other improvements the Koblenskys said they expect to appreciate will include the enclosed pedestrian bridge from the station to the platforms, so they won’t have to walk across the tracks to reach the train, and the auto access via the Herrick Street Bridge.
Jack Koblensky, who travels for his job with GE, said he believes travelers will enjoy the new train station in much the same way the new Albany International Airport terminal improved air travel for the region.
“It’s a lot nicer than it used to be,” he said of the airport. “You don’t mind if you have an hour delay there.”
Inside the new station Monday, Craig Armstrong and Rick Frederick of the Coffee Beanery were interviewing applicants for jobs at the restaurant and preparing to accept deliveries of food this week.
Tim Seelye and his staff from Sweet Associates were installing shelves and preparing spots for beverage coolers in the Friar Tuck newsstand and gift shop, which will be operated by Hamilton News.
Amtrak employees were working on computer equipment behind the ticket and information counter, and Verizon workers were switching on telephone lines. A Charter One bank ATM was being serviced.
The building floors have been buffed to a shine, reflecting the hazy sunlight that splashed through three skylights in the cathedral ceiling Monday.
A few last-minute wrinkles have emerged to challenge the staff but are not expected to affect the opening.
Escalators from the enclosed walkway to the platforms were running Monday, but they remain exposed to the weather until covering canopies, now on back order, are delivered in October, CDTA officials said. A sign that misspelled Amtrak as Amtrack has been shipped back to the printer for correction.
Sheila Carpenter of Long Island, a social worker for the state Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, welcomed news of the impending station opening as she arrived at the old station Monday on one of her regular trips here. She said she’d like the new station to spark more frequent train service and less-expensive cab service or public transportation once she gets here.
But even if not, she said, she’ll still enjoy it.
“I think the Amtrak staff is wonderful, and it can only become more comfortable if you’re waiting for a train,” Carpenter said. “It should be lovely.”