November 01, 2012
Phase Two Plan Features New Connections Plus Additional Late Night and Weekend Service
(Albany, NY) – The Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) has announced the service changes for Phase Two of the Albany County Route Restructuring, to launch on Sunday, November 11, 2012. The changes will affect more than a dozen routes operating throughout the North and West portions of Albany. This service launch is the final improvement piece to complete CDTA’s vision to restructure its entire service network for better connections throughout the Capital Region.
“These changes are all part of our larger plan to make our entire network more efficient and better service our customers and the community,” said CDTA Chairwoman Denise Figueroa.“The successes of these major improvement plans validate the commitment CDTA has made to the community to provide transportation where people want to go in the Capita Region, safely and reliably, and at a reasonable cost.”
Several public meetings were held over the last year to assess priorities from customers, residents and stakeholders which were incorporated into the final plan. Many changes came directly from customers including the creation of Route #522 Hudson River Express plus the new routing of Route #155 Suburban Circulator and Route #719 Altamont/Voorhesville.
“The common theme has been the partnership with our customers, and our business, government and community leaders,” said CDTA CEO Carm Basile. “Together, we addressed transit priorities while working within the resources available to us. Each service plan success underscores CDTA’s innovative approach to provide quality service and to maximize transit benefits to our community.”
The new routes will strengthen CDTA’s route network in Altamont, Cohoes, Colonie, Green Island, Guilderland, Latham, Voorheesville and Watervliet.
Here is a snapshot of the major improvements of Phase 2 final plan:
- New late night and additional weekend service in Cohoes, Latham, and Watervliet, and between Troy and Schenectady.
- Increased frequency between Troy, Latham, Watervliet and Schenectady via Route 2 & Route 7.
- Express service extended to Cohoes allowing faster connections to Troy and Albany.
- Increased trips to Altamont and Voorheesville during peak commute times.
- New service along parts of Fuller Road, Wade Road and Watervliet-Shaker Road.
- Improved cross-town connections in Guilderland and Colonie
- New service on Western Avenue, Wolf Road, and to the Albany International Airport
"In spite of the limited funding that has been available for transit, CDTA has worked to create an efficient and reliable transit system connecting more people to jobs throughout the Capital Region,” said Capital District Transportation Committee (CDTC) Chairman John McDonald. “CDTA should be commended not only for their work process of collaborating with its community partners, but also for the successful outcomes that they are achieving in these difficult financial times".
“I congratulate CDTA for its success in completing Phase Two of its five-year route restructuring process, said Supervisor Paula Mahan. “The end result is that service has been greatly enhanced throughout Albany County. I am also excited that service in Colonie has been expanded as well. Clearly, CDTA’s ridership will be well-served as a result of the restructuring process.”
“Having access to bus service is important to many Hannaford customers and associates, providing them with a convenient way to reach the supermarket, pharmacy and other places they need to go,” said Eric Blom, Hannaford spokesman. “Hannaford is proud to partner with the Capital District Transit Authority to support this vital link in our transportation system.”
“The students of Branford Hall Career Institute are very thankful for the opportunity CDTA is providing by adding the additional routes,” said Branford Hall Career Institute Campus Director John Nieckarz. “This will allow our students to continue to achieve their educational goals and to have “piece of mind” that comes from having reliable transportation.”
Part two of “What’s Your Number? Learn, Ride and Connect,” awareness campaign is in motion to help riders understand the service changes and discover where new connections are made. Albany county service is the largest part of CDTA’s route network representing nearly 60% of its ridership in the Capital Region. Phase One of the Albany Route Restructuring rolled out in November 2011 featuring improved trunk service, and a new neighborhood and commuter route network that offered improved access to jobs, health services and major destinations resulting in a 15% ridership increase since implementation.
- CDTA’s 5 year Transit Development Plan kicked off in 2007 with the introduction of redesigned service in Saratoga County.
- Rensselaer County service was fine-tuned in 2009 and first introduced the new route number system using three digits to easily identify different types of services.
- The Schenectady County service improvement plan was launched in 2010, designed by the community to provide better
connections to jobs, shopping destinations and healthcare services.
- BusPlus, CDTA’s premium limited stop bus rapid transit system along the Route 5 corridor was introduced in April 2011.
- Each major service improvement plan has yielded double digit ridership increases during their first year of operation.
For more on Phase Two of the Albany County Service Improvement Plan, visit www.cdta.org or contact CDTA’s Customer Information Center at 482-8822. Information operators are on duty 6am-7pm weekdays, 8am-6pm on Saturday and 8am-5pm on Sundays and holidays. To stay connected with CDTA’s latest, visit facebook.com/CDTAiride or follow us on twitter @CDTA.
