Plattsburgh, NY – In March 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic forced the temporary closure of Plattsburgh’s Amtrak station.

But next week, the Adirondack line will reopen, serving passengers going to Montreal, with stops in Port Kent, Plattsburgh and Rouses Point.

At last,” said Garry Douglas, the President of the North Country Chamber of Commerce.

Douglas and other business leaders are hopeful the reopening will boost tourism to the region

“It is an inviting additional choice for how to come from the Adirondacks, whether by Canadians or by down staters in the New York metro region,” said Douglas.

It’s also another link between the United State and Canada that was lost due to the pandemic, said Dr. Christopher Kirkey, director of the Center for the Study of Canada and Institute on Québec Studies at the SUNY Plattsburgh.

“It personifies the connections between Canada and the United States and between Quebec and New York. To reestablish that tangible link is symbolically so important,” Kirkey said. “I think anybody who suggests it isn’t good news is mistaken because it is good news,”

For some local college students, it’s a chance to get home to New York City more often.

“I’m actually very happy it’s opening,” said Ivonne Diaz, a student at SUNY Plattsburgh. “It gives me more of an opportunity to go home more often and go home for Easter at a lower price, which is amazing.”

Before the pandemic interrupted service, the Adirondack line was seeing ridership go up. But officials said it may take some time to reach that level of demand.