Hi Frank;
I take Amtrak a lot between Penn and Rhinecliff and, relative to the general state of passenger railways in the US, it's a pretty good and reliable line. Besides the nice views from riding along the Hudson, this line is also generally free of curves. A 7:15 out of Albany gets you to Penn at 9:45 and a 9:15 return train (you will have to miss the Goo Goos and may also need a little bit of LIRR luck) gets you back to Albany by 11:45. Two seats is $168. Not sure what the coach costs but I would take my chances with the trains every time. Keep in mind there were 110,000 last year and "only" 35,000 came by the LIRR.
Also, the LIRR did add new platforms at Belmont, which should help. Also, they are supposedly planning on staging trains more effectively than last year so maybe you get a double improvement there.
Last year I checked and saw that the Queens Village stop on the LIRR was closer than any subway stop. When the platforms were still a mess after the last race I walked to the QV stop in about 20 minutes and was back at Penn by 9:00. That said, I'm not sure the Queens Village alternate will be available this year due to the "staging" noted above. Still, I think with the 90K cap, the LIRR's improvements, the memories of last year's disaster, and the fact that the Cross Island figures to remain terrible - the train situation figures to get the "most improved" award this year.
Betting the WiFi will also be better, but not making any rosy predictions for bathrooms, beer & water supplies and lines for food. Still planning on a big breakfast and saving my celebratory cocktails for when I get back to my apartment. And if anyone wants a single seat in row A of the 2nd deck between the 1/16th and 1/8th poles for $500 I would have to be an idiot not to at least consider it.
