Empire Plaza Terminal — Intercity buses at the Empire State Plaza Concourse

The case

Right now, there's no front door — just two back doors.

The Capital Region's intercity passengers are split between two places, neither adequate. Greyhound still uses the aging 1960s terminal at 34 Hamilton Street. Trailways and Peter Pan left that terminal in 2022 and now load from a bare "bus shack" at 66 Green Street.

So a traveler first has to know which carrier leaves from where — then wait, often on foot and after dark, with luggage, at whichever worn-out curb applies. For the capital of New York, it's a poor welcome.

Meanwhile, a few blocks uphill, the state owns one of the most over-built pieces of transit infrastructure in the Northeast — and it was designed with an underground bus station in its Concourse. CDTA buses still pull in there every day. The proposal is simple: finish the job the building was made for.

As it is today · June 2026 The Empire State Plaza Concourse waiting hall, with benches lined along a glass wall facing the enclosed bus deck.

The existing Concourse waiting hall — benches already face the enclosed bus deck.

Albany's Moynihan moment

A grand 1960s building, given a second life.

Albany's Trailways Station, at 358 Broadway, was a genuinely handsome piece of mid-century modernism — but, like New York City's lost Penn Station, it can't be what travelers need anymore, even with a dramatic revitalization. Downstate, the answer was Moynihan Train Hall: take a monumental public building and give travel the civic room it deserved. The Empire State Plaza — completed in the same era, and arguably the most monumental civic space in the state outside Manhattan — can be the bus equivalent.

And New York is already spending to give bus riders dignity. This proposal simply asks for Albany's turn — at a fraction of the cost, because the hall already exists.

New York City · 2021

Moynihan Train Hall

The Farley Post Office reborn as a soaring rail hall. The lesson: intercity travel deserves a civic room, not a curb — and adaptive reuse can deliver it.

Manhattan · under construction

Midtown Bus Terminal

A $10 billion replacement for the world's busiest bus terminal, now underway. Proof the state treats bus passengers as worth real investment.

Rochester · 2014

RTS Transit Center

An enclosed, climate-controlled hub — about 30 bays and 100 buses an hour — that pulled buses off downtown streets and helped revitalize Main Street.

The plan

Four pieces, all already in place.

Nothing here requires new construction. The proposal reassigns space and adds carriers to a deck the state already operates.

01 · Ticketing

The former KeyBank branch

The shuttered bank branch — already built out with a secure teller line and counter — becomes the staffed ticket and customer-service hall for all three carriers.

02 · Security

State Police, already here

NYSP already stages and patrols the Plaza deck around the clock — turning the single biggest weakness of most bus stations into a built-in strength.

03 · Entry

Madison Avenue gateway

The Madison Avenue entrance becomes the primary traveler entry — a short, level, weather-protected walk to ticketing, food, and the berths.

04 · Connected

Steps from the arena & The Egg

The Concourse links — under cover — to the MVP Arena, The Egg and the Albany Capital Center. Step off the bus and walk indoors to your game, show or event.

Bus routing

Buses on the deck. People in the glass.

Coaches enter from the arterial's eastbound ramp, follow the existing painted guide line past the berths, then leave westbound and loop back to eastbound to rejoin I-787 and the Dunn Memorial Bridge. Passengers never share the roadway — they wait behind glass and board through controlled doors, exactly as at an airport gate.

← swipe to see the full loop diagram →

Active bus berth (1–6) Staging / relief lane Glass waiting hall — pedestrians only

IN · eastIn on the eastbound rampCoaches enter the lower level from the arterial's eastbound entrance — connected to I-787, the Dunn Memorial Bridge, and the Thruway — without touching downtown surface streets.
→Along the guide lineBuses follow the existing painted line past the berths. Public parking traffic is kept on separate aisles.
▣Berth, board, departBoarding happens through controlled glass doors. The roadway is signed "Pedestrian Traffic Prohibited" today — so the safety separation already exists.
OUT · westOut westbound, then back eastDeparting coaches leave westbound, then loop back to eastbound to rejoin the arterial toward I-787 in minutes — no curbside double-parking on city streets.

The enclosed Plaza service deck roadway, with the arched arterial portals letting in daylight at the far end.

The enclosed service deck today — arched arterial portals carry traffic in and out.

Capacity & routing plan

Six berths. Never more than six buses at once.

The deck is scheduled, not first-come. With six berths and a two-bus staging lane, the plan caps simultaneous occupancy at six and meters arrivals so coaches are always moving, never stacking — comfortably more capacity than Greyhound, Trailways and Peter Pan need together today.

6

Scheduled intercity berths (B1–B6)

+2

Staging / relief positions held in reserve

~15 min

Planned dwell per berth (boarding + alighting)

12–15

Design-peak movements per hour

PLAZA TERMINAL · DEPARTURES & ARRIVALS Representative weekday peak · 15:30–17:30

Time	Type	Carrier	Route	Berth
15:35	DEP	Greyhound	New York City — express	B3
15:45	ARR	Trailways	Lake George · Glens Falls	B1
15:50	DEP	Peter Pan	Springfield · Boston	B4
16:00	DEP	Trailways	Saratoga · Glens Falls · Lake George	B1
16:05	ARR	Greyhound	Syracuse · Utica	B2
16:15	DEP	Trailways (Pine Hill)	Kingston · New York City	B5
16:25	ARR	Peter Pan	Hartford · New York City	B4
16:35	DEP	Greyhound	New York City	B3
16:40	ARR	Trailways	Montréal · Plattsburgh	B1
16:50	DEP	Peter Pan	Worcester · Boston	B4
17:00	DEP	Trailways	Utica · Syracuse · Buffalo	B2
17:10	ARR	Greyhound	New York City	B3
17:15	DEP	Trailways (Pine Hill)	Kingston · New York City	B5
17:20	DEP	Trailways	Saratoga · Plattsburgh · Montréal	B1
17:25	ARR	Peter Pan	Pittsfield · Boston	B6

Illustrative timetable. Times are staggered so each berth turns every 15–20 minutes; concurrent berth occupancy peaks at six, with the staging lane absorbing any early arrival.

Berth assignment by corridor

Berth	Corridor	Primary carrier	Representative destinations
1North	Adirondack & Northway	Adirondack Trailways	Saratoga Springs, Glens Falls, Lake George, Plattsburgh, Montréal
2West	Mohawk Valley & Western NY	Trailways · Greyhound	Schenectady, Utica, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo
3South	Hudson Valley & NYC express	Greyhound	Kingston, Newburgh, New York City
4East	New England	Peter Pan	Pittsfield, Springfield, Worcester, Boston; Hartford
5South II	Catskills & NYC via NYS Thruway	Pine Hill Trailways	Kingston, New Paltz, New York City
6Flex	Layover · relief · charter	All	Overflow boarding, charters, schedule recovery

← swipe table →

CDTA local, BusPlus and Northway Xpress service continues at its existing Concourse bays, giving every intercity rider a one-walk transfer to local transit.

Why not just the train?

Albany's busiest gateway is across the river.

Albany–Rensselaer is the 9th-busiest Amtrak station in the country — roughly 920,000 riders a year — clear proof of the demand. But it sits in Rensselaer, 1.5 miles across the Hudson from downtown Albany, and its trains are effectively capped at about 13 round-trips a day on a constrained four-track switching complex.

Buses answer what rail can't: they run far more often, cost less, and depart earlier and later than the last train. And a Concourse terminal would put the Capital Region's front door in the City of Albany itself — no river crossing, no transfer from Rensselaer just to reach downtown.

920K

Annual riders at Albany–Rensselaer (FY2025) — the demand is already here

~13

Amtrak round-trips a day — the ceiling on rail capacity

1.5 mi

Across the Hudson — the rail station isn't even in Albany

More often · cheaper · earlier & later

What buses offer that the train schedule can't

Better positioned for Albany

The bus network reaches more of the region — and starts in the city.

Rail and bus share the big corridors, but intercity buses serve far more of the places Capital Region travelers actually go — Lake George, Glens Falls, Kingston, New Paltz, Newburgh, Hartford, the Catskills and dozens of town stops the train skips — and they run many times more often. A Concourse terminal anchors that whole network inside downtown Albany, not across the river in Rensselaer.

← swipe to explore the map →

Intercity bus corridor (from downtown Albany) Amtrak rail corridor (from Rensselaer) Served by both · Bus only

150+ daily intercity bus trips across the Trailways network centered on Albany — versus ~13 train round-trips a day.

Bus-only destinations include Lake George, Glens Falls, Kingston, New Paltz, Newburgh, Hartford and the Catskills.

The rail station sits 1.5 miles across the Hudson; the Plaza terminal would be in downtown Albany itself.

Schematic — node positions are approximate and routes are simplified for clarity.

Steps from the show

Arrive by bus. Minutes away from a show or event.

The Concourse isn't just a bus deck — it's the spine of the Capital Complex, where the Empire State Plaza Convention Center, The Egg, the Albany Capital Center and the MVP Arena are all joined by a fully enclosed, climate-controlled walkway.

Headed to a concert at the MVP Arena, a show at The Egg, or a convention at the Capital Center? Step off your coach and walk to the door — no cab, no cold, no crossing the river from Rensselaer. For event-goers, the Plaza is simply the closer, easier arrival.

MVP Arena

Concerts, Siena hoops and family shows — a covered walk from the berths.

The Egg

The Plaza's own performing-arts center, on the same concourse level.

Albany Capital Center

Conventions and expos, linked into the Complex by enclosed walkway.

ESP Convention Center

State events and the Plaza's food court, post office and shops.

The vision

See it the way travelers would.

The space already exists — the left of each pair is a real photo from June 2026. On the right, a rendering of the same kind of space in service: ticketing, a real waiting hall, and coaches at the berths.

● Today

The enclosed service deck at the Concourse entrance, today.

◇ Envisioned

Rendering of coaches berthed at the Concourse deck with passengers boarding

Coaches at the berths, passengers boarding beside the glass hall.

Concept rendering

● Today

The former KeyBank branch, with its teller line intact, today.

◇ Envisioned

Rendering of a staffed BUS TICKETS hall with kiosks and agents

A staffed ticket hall — agents, self-serve kiosks, clear signage.

Concept rendering

● Today

The Concourse food court today, just off the waiting area.

◇ Envisioned

Rendering of a modern waiting hall with seating, kiosks and food nearby

Comfortable seating, real-time kiosks, food steps away.

Concept rendering

● Today

Existing Concourse benches facing the deck, today.

◇ Envisioned

Rendering of a lounge with travelers waiting beside the glass-walled deck

A warm, lit lounge — every age of traveler, out of the weather.

Concept rendering

Why it works

A dignified front door for the Capital Region.

The same move that gives travelers a safer, brighter station also puts the Plaza to work on nights and weekends — when its concourse otherwise sits empty.

A

One address

Greyhound, Trailways and Peter Pan share a single, findable location — ending the split between 34 Hamilton Street and the Green Street shack.

B

Safe by default

An enclosed, monitored deck with a 24/7 State Police presence — no dark sidewalks, no isolated curbs.

C

Out of the weather

Northeast winters and summer heat happen indoors here. Boarding stays climate-protected year round.

D

Bright & dignified

A real waiting hall with restrooms, seating, food, a post office and retail — the basics riders deserve.

E

In the city, not across the river

A downtown-Albany gateway, unlike the rail station in Rensselaer — no Hudson crossing to begin a trip.

F

Evenings & weekends

Buses bring footfall when the Plaza is quiet, supporting concourse vendors and activating the space off-hours.

G

Highway-direct

Arterial access keeps coaches off congested surface streets, speeding trips and cutting downtown idling.

H

Builds on what exists

No new terminal to fund, site or construct — and nothing new dropped onto a city block. The Concourse is already there.

I

A landmark welcome

Arriving at one of America's great civic plazas beats arriving at a worn-out curb.

Questions

What people ask first.

Why use the Plaza instead of building a new terminal?

Because the better building already exists. A central, covered, already-policed hall with highway access and a connection to the Capital Complex would cost a fraction of any new-build terminal and require no new site. It also answers what the Times Union editorial board urged in June 2026 — that a new downtown Albany bus terminal be located somewhere better. The Concourse is that somewhere, ready now.

Who pays for it?

Carriers lease counter and ticketing space, as at any terminal. For fit-out and operations, the proposal would seek an investment from Governor Hochul's Championing Albany's Potential (CAP) Initiative — the same $400 million downtown-Albany program already funding transit work and the OGS "Reconnect the Plaza" effort. Because the deck, loop, waiting hall and former bank branch already exist, this carries a far smaller price tag than building a brand-new terminal from scratch.

Does the Plaza really have room for buses?

Yes. The lower level is an enclosed vehicular deck fed by the South Mall Arterial, and CDTA buses already pull into a station inside the Concourse. The proposal formalizes and expands that use for Greyhound, Trailways and Peter Pan — it does not invent it.

Where would passengers buy tickets and check in?

In the former KeyBank branch off the Concourse. It already has a secure counter and teller line, so it can serve as a shared ticket and customer-service hall for all three carriers with minimal fit-out.

Is it safe to send the public onto a parking deck?

Passengers never enter the roadway. They wait in the glass-walled hall and board through controlled doors — the deck is already signed "Pedestrian Traffic Prohibited." Combined with the standing State Police presence, the security baseline is far higher than a downtown curb.

What about maintenance and overnight layover?

Nothing changes. Heavy maintenance and layover stay off-site, exactly as carriers handle them today. The Plaza handles boarding, alighting and ticketing only.

How many buses can it handle at once?

Six berths operate on a metered schedule, with a two-bus staging lane in reserve — so simultaneous occupancy is capped at six and coaches keep moving. That's more than Greyhound, Trailways and Peter Pan need together today. See the capacity plan above.

A better site, ready now

In June 2026, the Times Union's editorial board urged that a new downtown Albany bus terminal be built somewhere better. The Empire State Plaza Concourse is that somewhere — central, covered, safe, highway-connected, and already standing.

— reflecting the Times Union editorial board's call to find a better site

A safe, and cost-effective plan for Intercity Bus Service.

Right now, there's no front door — just two back doors.

A grand 1960s building, given a second life.

Moynihan Train Hall

Midtown Bus Terminal

RTS Transit Center

Four pieces, all already in place.

The former KeyBank branch

State Police, already here

Madison Avenue gateway

Steps from the arena & The Egg

Buses on the deck. People in the glass.

Six berths. Never more than six buses at once.

Berth assignment by corridor

Albany's busiest gateway is across the river.

The bus network reaches more of the region — and starts in the city.

Arrive by bus. Minutes away from a show or event.

MVP Arena

The Egg

Albany Capital Center

ESP Convention Center

See it the way travelers would.

A dignified front door for the Capital Region.

One address

Safe by default

Out of the weather

Bright & dignified

In the city, not across the river

Evenings & weekends

Highway-direct

Builds on what exists

A landmark welcome

What people ask first.

Give the Capital Region a gateway worthy of its capital.