New York City to Niagara Falls by train

Two Amtrak routes depart New York City and travel to Niagara Falls: Empire Service and Maple Leaf. Both routes depart from New York Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan and travel through the Hudson River Valley. The scenery is beautiful and you’ll spend 9.5 hours on the train before arriving at the Amtrak station in Niagara Falls. Here’s what you need to know to plan your trip.

This website is reader supported and not affiliated with Amtrak. We may earn a small commission from links on this page. Use the Find Trains feature on the Amtrak.com homepage to view schedules and ticket prices from New York Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station.

Seating

Both Amtrak routes have coach and business class seating. Business class seats are larger and have more legroom, and you’ll be able to cancel your ticket before departure for a full refund. For these extra perks, expect to pay about $100 more than a coach seat.

Tip: Sit on the left side of the train to view the Hudson River on the way to Niagara Falls and on the right side on the trip back to New York City.

Food

The Empire Service and Maple Leaf trains have a café car where you can buy drinks, snacks and light meals. We highly recommend bringing food with you on the train. Consider bringing a small cooler or cooler bag to expand your food options. Note that you can bring on board two personal items and two pieces of luggage (the cooler can be one personal item).

Other Amenities

Enjoy free WiFi for general web browsing on your trip to Niagara Falls. Due to limited bandwidth, video and music streaming is not allowed. There are also electrical outlets, reading lights and trays at each seat.

Niagara Falls Arrival

You’ll arrive in Niagara Falls on the same day you depart from New York City. You can rent a car from Enterprise (pickup service available, although you may need to get the car on the day after you arrive due to business hours and the train schedule). Lyft and Uber are also easy ways to get around.

The Niagara Falls State Park and welcome center are less than a 10-minute drive away from the Amtrak station, and there are several hotels in walking distance of the attractions. Trains return to New York City in the morning, so if you want more than a few hours to see the sights, plan to stay two nights in Niagara Falls.