State transportation officials are reviving hopes for a second railroad track between Schenectady and Rensselaer, according to the Times Union [1].

The Rensselaer train station.The 18-mile stretch has long been a bottleneck that delays freight and passenger trains, including Amtrak's Empire Corridor service. Around 80 Amtrak [2] trains pass through the stretch each week, and passengers often wait 20 minutes or more for traffic to clear. 

According to the Capital District Transportation Committee, a transit-planning group, there had been hopes to build a second line before but they plans were sidetracked due to budget concerns. The estimated cost of adding a new line is $60 million.

The CDTC's Planning Committee, which includes representatives of municipalities and transportation agencies throughout the region, will decide later this month whether to put the project back on its agenda.