Saratoga Springs, NY (SAR)

26 Station Lane
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

Station Hours

Annual Ticket Revenue (FY 2023): $510,173
Annual Station Ridership (FY 2023): 31,368*

• Ownerships
• Routes Served
• Contact
• Local Community Links

• Facility Ownership: Canadian Pacific Railway Co.
• Parking Lot Ownership: Canadian Pacific Railway Co.
• Platform Ownership: Canadian Pacific Railway Co.
• Track Ownership: Canadian Pacific Railway Co.

• Adirondack
• Ethan Allen Express

Jane Brophy
Regional Contact
governmentaffairsnyc@amtrak.com
For information about Amtrak fares and schedules, please visit Amtrak.com or call 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245).

• City of Saratoga Springs
• Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA)
• New York by Rail

The Amtrak station in Saratoga Springs, originally built in 1956 for the Delaware and Hudson Railway (D&H, succeeded by the Canadian Pacific Railway), reopened in 2004 after undergoing extensive renovations. Most of the structure was rebuilt into a modern, high-ceilinged facility. While it retains its brick exterior, the earlier brick-and-cinderblock structure now sports wooden facing high across the front and green trim on doors and windows, with a wave-arched portico roof that is echoed in a tall skylight raised above the center of the station. Clerestory windows across the front also contribute a clean, modernistic airiness to the interior. Amenities include a coffee/news stand, ATM machine, art displays, information kiosk, and an outside patio with benches and a children’s play area.

Officially opening on March 15, 2004, the renovation project came in below its estimated $5.9 million budget. Federal funding was secured by Congressman John Sweeney and his predecessor, Gerald B.H. Solomon and accounted for about $4.7 million of the $5.7 million cost. The New York Department of Transportation, Canadian Pacific Railway, the city of Saratoga Springs and Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) made up the remainder. The Saratoga County Economic Development Corporation and the city’s West Side Neighborhood Association spearheaded the renovations, and considered it part of their neighborhood’s renaissance. The station renovation had been in the works as early as 1997.

The 1956 structure replaced an 1889 building that used to serve the Adirondack branch of the D&H. The 1950s-era structure was torn down in 2002, and a temporary trailer was used until the current station’s completion.

Fort Saratoga was built in 1691 on the west bank of the Hudson River, south of the current village of Schuylerville. In 1767, Sir William Johnson, British soldier and veteran of the French and Indian Wars, visited the springs west of the village, prompted by Native American friends who convinced him that the springs there had medicinal properties. This original spring, High Rock Spring, may still be visited today.

The Battles of Saratoga, turning point of the American Revolutionary War, took place 15 miles southeast of the settlement. British General John Burgoyne sought to take control of the Hudson River Valley, opposed by Continental forces under General Horatio Gates. Between September 19 and October 7, 1777, Burgoyne lost 1,000 men and, outnumbered three to one, surrendered to Gates.

Saratoga Springs was established in 1819 from a western portion of the town of Saratoga; was incorporated as a village in 1819, and became a city in 1915. Revolutionary War veteran Gideon Putnam had arrived in about 1800 to build a tavern and boarding house next to the mineral springs. Because of his vision of the community as a resort area, people came from far and wide to take the waters, and the village grew into one of the largest resort areas of the 19th century.

Saratoga Springs has served as the gateway to the Adirondack Mountains since the early 19th century, initially to bring down iron ore, and then with the addition of resort passengers. The first station used in Saratoga was built in 1833 and shared between the Rensselaer and Saratoga Railroad and the Adirondack Railway when it was established in 1863 going up to North Creek, shipping ore down. Passenger service was suspended on the North Creek line in 1956, at which time the Saratoga Springs stop was shifted to the D&H main line, where it now stands. Today, the Upper Hudson Railroad, a heritage railroad, runs tourist excursions along part of the Adirondack line.

Saratoga Springs, besides being a resort destination and gateway, has also been famous for its horse racing. Saratoga Race Course, the oldest continuously operating sporting venue in the United States, opened on August 3, 1863. Since 1864, the track has been the site of the Travers Stakes, the oldest major thoroughbred horse race in the United States, which is the main draw of the annual summer race season. Altogether, 38 graded stake races are run at Saratoga Race Course.

The city is also the origin of, the potato chip. While working as chef at the elegant Moon Lake Lodge’s restaurant in 1853, Native American George Crum responded to repeated requests by an annoying customer for thinner potato fries by frying potato slices so thin and crunchy that they could not be eaten with a fork. This proved so popular an invention that the restaurant made their Saratoga Chips a house specialty. Crum opened his own restaurant in Saratoga Springs in 1860, featuring his chips, and catering to wealthy clientele. Potato chips today are an over-$6 billion per year business, enjoyed by millions.

Every winter, the Canadian Pacific Railway runs a Holiday Train which makes a day-long stop in Saratoga Spring. The train makes stops in 110 towns on its way to Montreal, and brings musicians, prizes, and Santa Claus. Hundreds of locals attend the event each year, turning the stop into a holiday festival. Each year, the train also accepts donations for local food pantries in both Canada and the U.S.

Service on the Adirondack is financed primarily through funds made available by the New York State Department of Transportation. The Ethan Allen Express is financed primarily through funds made available by the Vermont Agency of Transportation and the New York State Department of Transportation.

*Adirondack service resumed in April 2023 following a pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Station Building (with waiting room)