Amtrak service restored after Central Warehouse facade work

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Amtrak service has been restored west of Albany after falling debris from Central Warehouse forced the rail lines to close on Friday. Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan said crews worked to remove the loose concrete on the southern side of the building.

"As I stated on Friday, our number one priority has been to safeguard the public, and get rail service back on track," said Sheehan. "Thanks to the hard work of our Director of Buildings and Regulatory Compliance, as well as our contractors, we achieved that goal. There is still work to be done to prevent further deterioration, but we are pleased that the tracks can safely reopen."

Sheehan said the smokestack was also removed. Crews will now work to reinforce portions of the southern wall.

"This endeavor has made it crystal clear that the ongoing neglect by the building's owner, Evan Blum, is not only impacting our city, but commerce across the northeast," said Sheehan. "We will bill the owner of Central Warehouse for the costs associated with mitigating this threat to public safety, and urge him to take the necessary steps to prevent something similar from occurring in the future. If he refuses to do so, we will not hesitate to once again step in and protect our residents and businesses to the fullest extent of the law."