Albany

"Shortly after departure from Schenectady - about 18 miles and 25-30 minutes - the Lake Shore Limited makes a stop at Albany-Rensselaer, which is its final (or first, if traveling from New York/Boston) station as a complete train. If the train arrives on time into Albany-Rensselaer (2:53 p.m. ET), NEW YORK passengers have over an hour to get out and stretch their legs or head up into the station. During this time, the train is separated into its New York and Boston sections and the locomotives are swapped, which is a fascinating sight in itself. BOSTON passengers ONLY have about 30 minutes. Up in the station building, there is a cafe, convenience store, post office, ticket desks as well as restrooms. If you choose to walk outside the station, keep in mind that it is actually located in the town of Rensselaer and still across the river about 1.5 miles from Albany, so you won’t be strolling around a downtown. There are a few large parking lots on site, however, if you desire to just do a couple of loops. Lastly, if you decide to leave the train, bring your ticket and be very aware of the time. As of this writing, departure for the NY section is 4:10 p.m. ET, while Boston is 3:27 p.m. ET. If the train is running late, be sure to ask the conductor what time you should be back to the train because they will likely try to expedite the process and they can/will leave without you. Future Amtrak Airo train sets are expected to eliminate this timely layover in Albany due to diesel/electric dual-mode locomotives. Currently, any trains traveling in/out of New York’s Penn Station must have an electric engine, while anything north of Albany is required to have diesel, so the locomotives are swapped at this station. Lastly, connections can be made to local (CDTA) as well as intercity bus service (Megabus, Greyhound and Vermont Translines) at the station. "