 Syracuse, NY | Empire Service | Utica, NY  |
| Maple Leaf |
Rome, NY is a minor Amtrak Station located on the grade-separated CSX (former New York Central) water level route. It receives 3 trains out of 4 Amtrak trains a day in each direction of those that follow this route. The two Empire Service trains extended to Niagara Falls plus the Maple Leaf with the Lake Shore Limited bypassing. The historic 1912 New York Central station building was rebuilt using funds raised by the Rome Rotary Club. The station itself is located on Martin Street just south of downtown. The historic station is on a street across from an auto-servicing garage, and has parking lots on both ends of the building. The southern lot (although not signed) is closest to a law firm that uses to former baggage office. The rest of the station building remains intact and is open for most train departures Monday through Saturday, on Sunday it is surprisingly closed. It has the standard NY Central wooden benches and a double height ceiling, a closed ticket office but with the tickets lettering still intact above it. There are also open restrooms but no news or telephones (the lettering is there but they lead to closed off spaces or empty nooks in the case of telephones). A grand double staircase leads from the middle of the station saying to platform. The bottom of the staircases have chains and signs saying stairs closed. This was probably the previous way to reach platform.
Today, all passengers must use the pedestrian subway (as the sign says) which leads out of doors from the station house with more doors, and a door from here straight to the eastern Amtrak parking lot, where there is a modern little clock tower to provide station access when the historic waiting room is closed. This underpass with non-descript white walls leads to an elevator and staircase up to the low-level island platform between the two-track line, there are tactile warning strips on both sides. These each have little enclosed landings with benches (more for waiting passengers) before doors out to the platform itself. The platform is canopied for most of its open length with fences separating the ends although the platform continues a bit longer (meaning it was designed longer train such as for the Lake Shore Limited if it stopped could open more of its doors). Trains generally open the standard two doors for a low-level platform in their rear sections; one at the cafe/business class car (the last car these days) and one just in front of it. The doors have a local phone number on them in case for some reason an arriving passenger found them locked. There is also a mobile lift making the station fully accessible. The tracks are frequented by passing freight trains (lots of intermodial double-stacks) making standing behind the yellow line especially important.
2018 Update: On July 4, 2018 a portion of the cieling in the pedestrian tunnel that provides the only access to the platorm collapsed. Train service was suspended to Rome (passengers were directed to get off and on in Utica, replacement shuttle bus service not provided by Amtrak) for 5 months until December 17, 2018 when a temporary walkway to the train platform was completed, repairs to reopen the rest of the station are ongoing.
All photos taken on 16 July, 2011
