NORTHAMPTON — Residents in the Pioneer Valley looking to get away to New York City for the weekend now have more of a means to do so, thanks to additional Amtrak Valley Flyer trains running between Greenfield and New Haven, Connecticut, that can transfer to the Big Apple’s Penn Station.

The new northbound afternoon train No. 486 reaches its terminus in Greenfield at 5:30 p.m. after starting in New Haven at 2:50 p.m. The schedule would allow a passenger to board the train after transferring from a New York City train departing at 12:37 p.m. Stops along the way are made in Springfield, Holyoke and Northampton.

The southbound evening train No. 479, meanwhile, leaves Greenfield at 6:05 p.m. and reaches New Haven at 9 p.m. Passengers can reach New York City at 10:57 p.m. after transferring. Stops along the way are made in Northampton, Holyoke and Springfield.

With this new southbound train, it will be possible to travel in the evening from Greenfield, Northampton, and Holyoke to New York City for the first time since the 1960s.

“For the first time, you now have the ability to go down the valley and on to New York in the evening. We’ve never really had that before,” said Ben Heckscher, co-founder of local advocacy group Trains in the Valley. “As you add additional trains at different times, you start to pick up more ridership because there’s more options for moving.”

Both the new northbound and southbound lines will run only during weekdays, from Monday to Friday. The current southbound morning line also now begins at Greenfield at 6:20 a.m., instead of starting at Springfield.

The new trains join an existing timetable for Amtrak Valley Flyers that run during the morning and afternoon times, as well as the Vermonter train that goes northbound to St. Albans, near the U.S.-Canada border in Vermont. Fares for the train can span from around $45 to $140 for a one-way trip, depending on which train is used and whether it’s business class or coach.

The announcement of the additional trains comes as advocates across the state have pushed for more rail service, citing it as a more sustainable travel option compared with flying or driving. Last year, the state received more than $108 million in federal funding to expand rail service across Massachusetts, with plans to connect Springfield and the rest of the Pioneer Valley eastward to Worcester and Boston. The expanded rail project is expected to be completed some time around 2029.

“If you get on the train you can open your computer and continue to work or read something, or take a nap,” Heckscher said. “It has great benefits for anyone that wants to travel to any number of places along the corridor all the way to Washington D.C.”

Heckscher also said there were plans to expand the Vermonter line into Canada and the city of Montreal, which it had previously done until 1995, although updates continued to happen at a slow pace.

Amtrak is currently requesting $30 million in grants for fiscal year 2025 to support improvements that would enable the return of service to Montreal.

“After 9/11, the border is more complicated than it used to be,” Heckscher said. “It takes time.”