Poughkeepsie Will No Longer Be The Last Stop For Metro-North

If you tend to doze off on the ride home from New York City, you'll soon need to set an alarm, as you may wind up 80 miles north.

Metro-North announced that the Hudson Line is changing in a big way, and soon that familiar stop in Poughkeepsie won’t be where every train ends anymore. By spring 2026, Metro-North riders who miss their stop could find themselves in the state capital.

Metro-North will extend service north of Poughkeepsie all the way to Albany-Rensselaer Station, marking the first time the railroad has gone beyond Dutchess County. The new line is designed to fill the gap left by suspended Amtrak trips during tunnel repairs in the city.

Metro-North Sets Its Sights on Albany

Metro-North will soon run one round-trip train each day, from Grand Central Terminal to Albany in the morning and back again in the afternoon. Non-passenger test trains are expected to start later this year, with full service scheduled to begin in early 2026.

It’s a major expansion for Metro-North, which hasn’t traveled north of Poughkeepsie since the days of the New York Central Railroad in the 1960s. The new service will give riders another option for reaching New York City or the Capital Region, while offering fares that will compete with the lower end of Amtrak’s current ticket prices.

Metro-North President Justin Vonashek called the project a “critical link” that restores capacity and connects more Hudson Valley communities to Grand Central. Governor Hochul said the change will help reduce costs for travelers and give over two million annual riders more flexibility.

Amtrak Also Making Big Changes

While Metro-North expands its territory, Amtrak is also making some big changes. Starting December 1, one of the suspended Empire Service round-trip trains between Albany and New York City will return. The company has also announced a new $99 fare cap for coach seats along the route, a small break for riders who have seen ticket prices spike during tunnel construction.

The repairs to Amtrak’s East River tunnels are expected to continue into next year, but the state says the new Metro-North line will help keep the Hudson River corridor running smoothly.