railroad.wikisort.org - Train

The Vermonter is a passenger train operated by Amtrak between St. Albans, Vermont, and Washington, D.C., via New York City.[3] It replaced the overnight Montrealer, which terminated in Montreal until 1995. Amtrak receives funding from the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont for Vermonter operations north of New Haven.[4]

Vermonter

The Vermonter in Brattleboro, Vermont in 2015
Overview
Service type	Regional rail
Status	Operating
Locale	New England, Mid-Atlantic states
Predecessor	Montrealer
First service	April 1, 1995
Current operator(s)	Amtrak in partnership with CTDOT, MassDOT and VTrans
Annual ridership	18,585 (FY21) −81.3%[1][lower-alpha 1]
Route
Termini	St. Albans, Vermont Washington, D.C.
Stops	29 (weekdays) 30 (weekends)
Distance travelled	611 miles (983 km)
Average journey time	12 hours, 40 minutes[2] (D.C. to St. Albans) 12 hours, 57 minutes[2] (St. Albans to D.C.)
Service frequency	One daily round trip
Train number(s)	54, 55, 56, 57
On-board services
Class(es)	Business class Reserved coach
Catering facilities	On-board café
Technical
Rolling stock	Amfleet coaches
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Operating speed	St. Albans–Springfield: up to 80 mph (129 km/h) Springfield–New York City: up to 110 mph (177 km/h) New York City–Washington: up to 125 mph (201 km/h)
Track owner(s)	NECR, MassDOT, MNCR, AMTK
Route map Legend Montreal Quebec, Canada Vermont, United States Proposed extension 0 mi St. Albans 24 mi 39 km Essex Junction Winooski Branch to Burlington 47 mi 76 km Waterbury 56 mi 90 km Montpelier 86 mi 138 km Randolph 118 mi 190 km White River Junction 131 mi 211 km Windsor Connecticut River VT NH 140 mi 225 km Claremont Connecticut River NH VT 157 mi 253 km Bellows Falls 181 mi 291 km Brattleboro VT MA Pre-2014 route 205 mi 330 km Greenfield Amherst 224 mi 360 km Northampton 235 mi 378 km Holyoke Palmer reverse move 245 mi 394 km Springfield MA CT 260 mi 418 km Windsor Locks 271 mi 436 km Hartford 282 mi 454 km Berlin bypassed 2018 289 mi 465 km Meriden 295 mi 475 km Wallingford bypassed 2018 Northeast Corridor to Boston 308 mi 496 km New Haven 321 mi 517 km Bridgeport 344 mi 554 km Stamford CT NY East River Tunnels under East River 379 mi 610 km New York City Empire Corridor to Albany NY NJ North River Tunnels under Hudson River 390 mi 628 km Newark Penn 404 mi 650 km Metropark 437 mi 703 km Trenton NJ PA Delaware River Keystone Corridor to Harrisburg 470 mi 756 km Philadelphia–30th Street PA DE 496 mi 798 km Wilmington DE MD 564 mi 908 km Baltimore 575 mi 925 km BWI Airport 596 mi 959 km New Carrollton MD DC Capitol Limited to Chicago 605 mi 974 km Washington, D.C. to Newport News, Norfolk, Roanoke, New Orleans, Miami This diagram: view talk edit

During fiscal year 2018, the Vermonter carried 97,909 passengers (not including riders between New Haven and Washington, D.C.), a 2.2% increase from FY17.[5] In FY16, the train earned $5,718,268 in revenue, a decrease of 1.8% from FY15.[6]

History

This section needs additional citations for verification. (January 2015)

Montrealer

The Vermonter was preceded by an overnight train between Montreal and Washington that was known as the Montrealer, which was inaugurated in 1924 as a joint service of the Pennsylvania Railroad, the New Haven Railroad, the Boston & Maine Railroad, the Central Vermont Railway and the Canadian National Railway. Another train, the Ambassador, ran the same route during the daytime, but terminated in New York City. Both services used the Boston and Maine's Connecticut River Line south of Vernon, Vermont, rather than the route prior to 2014 over the New England Central. Amtrak took over the train in 1971, and continued operating it until 1995 (excepting a brief suspension from 1987 to 1989).

Vermonter

The Vermonter replaced the Montrealer on April 1, 1995, bringing daytime Amtrak service to Vermont.[7]

Business Class was added to replace the sleeping cars that were taken out of service upon the change to the Vermonter. The route was changed to allow travelers from Vermont to again stop in Springfield and Hartford. This was made possible by the use of cab cars, or engineer positions on both ends, so that the train could travel east from Springfield to Palmer, Massachusetts, and reverse direction to continue north on the Central Vermont. This detour added an hour of running time, but at the time was judged more practical than seeking to use the direct route over the then-decayed former Boston and Maine Railroad trackage owned by the Guilford Rail System. The train travels from Washington to New Haven on the Northeast Corridor, where electric locomotives are substituted for the diesel locomotives used north of that location.

Vermont declined to pay for continuing the Vermonter to Montreal due to high labor and terminal costs in Montreal. For a time, Amtrak offered passengers a connecting Thruway bus service, operated by Vermont Transit, which met the train at St. Albans for connections to and from Montreal. Ridership plunged when the train schedule was moved two hours earlier, requiring a southbound departure before 5:00 a.m. The schedule was returned to its previous position, but the service was dropped by Vermont Transit (which had been running it without a subsidy as part of its regular schedule) on October 30, 2005.

On October 30, 2006, the Vermonter began stopping at the towns of Wallingford and Windsor Locks (near Bradley International Airport) in Connecticut for the first time.[8]

In the late 2000s, Amtrak and the State of Vermont considered the purchase of diesel multiple unit (DMU) trainsets for use on the New Haven–St. Albans stretch of the line,[9] with Amtrak offering a $2 million grant to help make the switch and market the new service. The new cars would purportedly have saved $4.25 million over three years, being four times more fuel efficient than a locomotive-hauled train.[10] In 2008, the Vermont state legislature approved the purchase of five cars from Colorado Railcar at a cost of $18.2 million, but the company closed while the decision was awaiting approval of Governor Jim Douglas.[11] With no other DMU designs available that were capable of operating in mixed traffic with other trains, the plan was dropped.

On November 9, 2010, the State of Vermont, Amtrak, and New England Central began a $70 million project to increase train speeds along the route in Vermont to 59 miles per hour (95 km/h) between St. Albans and White River Junction, Vermont, and to 79 miles per hour (127 km/h) between White River Junction and Vernon, Vermont.[12]

On October 5, 2012, the Federal Railroad Administration announced the completion of track work within the states of Vermont and New Hampshire for the above-mentioned stimulus plan. Within the states of Vermont and New Hampshire 190 miles (310 km) of track were refurbished. The track work included installation of continuous welded rail, road-crossing improvements, ballast replacement, tie replacement, bridge repair and renovation, and embankment improvements. The top speed of the line within Vermont was increased to 79 miles per hour (127 km/h).[13][14] The Massachusetts portion of the track work was completed in 2015.

On October 5, 2015, the southbound Vermonter derailed in Northfield, Vermont, after striking a rock slide. Five cars and the engine derailed; the engine and an empty car slid down an embankment. Five passengers and two crew members were injured, one seriously.[15]

Starting June 9, 2018, the Vermonter no longer serves the Berlin and Wallingford stations in Connecticut. These locations are served by other Amtrak trains and by the new Hartford Line commuter rail service.[4]

In March 2020, the Vermonter was truncated to New Haven as part of a reduced service plan due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[16][17] The move was forced after the pandemic prompted Vermont Governor Phil Scott to declare a state of emergency. The Vermonter resumed its full route on July 19, 2021, with $1 promotional fares on that date for travel within Vermont.[18][19]

2014 route change

Until 1987, the Montrealer traveled on the Connecticut River Line between Springfield and Brattleboro with a stop in Northampton. Due to the deteriorating condition of the tracks in that section, Amtrak ceased service by the train.

When the Vermonter service restored train service between Springfield's Union Station, Brattleboro and points north in 1995, the Vermonter traveled a somewhat-indirect route: east to Palmer, Massachusetts, and then north up the east side of the Connecticut River via Amherst, Massachusetts. It used CSX Transportation's Boston Subdivision between Springfield and Palmer. At Palmer, it made a backup move on to the New England Central Railroad (NECR), as no direct track connection existed. Massachusetts later rehabilitated the more-direct Connecticut River Line route with $10 million in state and $73 million in federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds.[20][21]

During rehabilitation of the Connecticut River Line, Vermonter service was restored to it on December 29, 2014. With the re-route, the train ceased stopping at Amherst, but a stop was restored to Northampton and, for the first time for Amtrak, a stop at Greenfield was added. The re-route and consequent elimination of the backup move saved about 25 minutes of travel time between Springfield and Brattleboro when the line rehabilitation was completed, in early 2015.[22][23][24]

Although the backup move at Palmer is eliminated by the re-route, a short backup move at Springfield is still required due to the layout of the tracks.[25] The tracks at Springfield Union Station run east-west, so northbound Vermonters need to curve into the station, back out, and switch back onto the tracks continuing north. And the opposite move occurs for southbound trains.

In January 2015, the number of Vermonter riders using the two new stations (in Northampton and Greenfield) was up 84 percent compared to the equivalent station in Amherst the previous year.[26] An infill stop in Holyoke was added on August 27, 2015.[27][28]

On March 26, 2020, service north of New Haven was temporarily suspended.[29] On November 30, 2020, service was cut back further from New Haven to New York.[30] This was done in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Service to St. Albans resumed on July 19, 2021.[19]

Planned extension of the Vermonter to Montreal

Efforts have been underway for many years to extend the Vermonter to Montreal. In 2012, the Federal Railroad Administration awarded $7.9 million to allow for the upgrade of the existing freight rail line between St. Albans and the Canada–US border.[31] Work on this project was completed in late 2014.

On March 16, 2015, Canada and the United States signed the "Agreement on Land, Rail, Marine, and Air Transport Preclearance Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of Canada". The agreement would allow for the establishment of a preclearance customs and immigration facility within Central Station in Montreal that could be used by both an extended Vermonter and Amtrak's existing Adirondack train.[32]

Before the Vermonter can be extended to Montreal, the United States Congress must pass enabling legislation for the preclearance agreement and the Parliament of Canada must ratify the agreement. Construction of a preclearance facility in Central Station is expected to take about three years: one year for planning and permitting and two years for construction. Construction of the preclearance facility is not expected to start until after the preclearance agreement has been approved by both governments.[33][34] Enabling legislation was enacted by the United States on December 16, 2016, as the Promoting Travel, Commerce, and National Security Act of 2016.[35] As of late 2018, logistics have delayed the extended route's introduction until at least 2023.[36] As of late 2021, according to Vermont transportation officials, while the United States remains active on the project, interest and engagement from regional and federal authorities on the Canadian side has frozen.[37]

In 2021, VTrans looked into potential infrastructure upgrades that would allow the Vermonter to reach 79 mph (127 km/h) on sections in Vermont, up from 59 mph (95 km/h). Saving around 1 hour 30 minutes between New Haven and Montreal, this scenario is forecast to incentivize an additional 31,100 to 40,900 riders per year by 2040. A key component to increasing the speed limit would be the installation of centralized traffic control from Greenfield to Brattleboro and from White River Junction to the border.[38]

Equipment

A typical Vermonter currently consists of five Amfleet I passenger cars and a single Amfleet I split business/cafe car. Between Washington and New Haven, the train is pulled by a Siemens ACS-64 electric locomotive. Electrification ends at New Haven, where the ACS-64 and the first Amfleet coach are taken off the train and swapped for a GE Genesis diesel locomotive for the remainder of the trip.

Prior to the 2014 reroute, the Vermonter operated with an ex-Budd Metroliner cab car, three Amfleet coaches, a Business Class/Cafe, and a GE P42; the consist reversed directions in Palmer, Massachusetts, typically having the locomotive leading north of Palmer and trailing south of Palmer. During winter periods the cab-car would be swapped for an Amfleet coach, and a locomotive would operate on either end.[39]

Route

The Vermonter uses Amtrak and ConnDOT's electrified Northeast Corridor line from Washington, D.C., to New Haven, Connecticut. After switching to a diesel locomotive at New Haven, it then uses the Amtrak-owned New Haven–Springfield Line north to Springfield, Massachusetts,[4] and the MassDOT-owned Connecticut River Line between Springfield and Northfield, Massachusetts. From Northfield to St. Albans, Vermont, it traverses New England Central Railroad trackage.[40] Weekend trains have an additional stop at Metropark station in Iselin, New Jersey.[4]

The Vermont Agency of Transportation offers discounted fares for travel between most Vermont stations along the route.[41]

Station stops

State	Mile (km)	Location	Station	Connections
VT	0 (0)	St. Albans	St. Albans	Green Mountain Transit (GMT): 96, 109, 110, 115, 116
	24 (39)	Essex Junction	Essex Junction	GMT: Blue Line (Route 2), Orange Line, Silver Loop (Route 10)
	47 (76)	Waterbury	Waterbury	GMT: 83, 86, 100
	56 (90)	Montpelier	Montpelier
	86 (138)	Randolph	Randolph	Intercity bus: Stagecoach Transportation
	118 (190)	White River Junction	White River Junction	Green Mountain Railroad StageCoach: 89er Advance Transit: Orange Line
	131 (211)	Windsor	Windsor
NH	140 (230)	Claremont	Claremont
VT	157 (253)	Bellows Falls	Bellows Falls	The Current: 2, 53, 55, 57 Intercity bus: Greyhound
	181 (291)	Brattleboro	Brattleboro Union Station	The Current: 4, 5, 7, 7S, 10, 11, 53, Brattleboro White Line
MA	205 (330)	Greenfield	John W. Olver Transit Center	Amtrak: Valley Flyer FRTA: 20, 21, 24, 31, 32, 41 Intercity bus: Greyhound
	224 (360)	Northampton	Northampton Union Station	Amtrak: Valley Flyer PVTA: B48, G73E, R41, R44
	235 (378)	Holyoke	Holyoke	Amtrak: Valley Flyer PVTA: R24, R29, T24, X90
	245 (394)	Springfield	Springfield Union Station	Amtrak: Lake Shore Limited, Northeast Regional, Hartford Line, Valley Flyer CTrail: Hartford Line PVTA Bus: B4, B6, B7, B7S, B12, B17, G1, G2, G2E, G3, P20, P20E, P21, P21E, R10, R14, X92, LOOP Intercity bus: Greyhound, Peter Pan Bus Lines
CT	260 (420)	Windsor Locks	Windsor Locks	Amtrak: Hartford Line, Northeast Regional, Valley Flyer CTrail: Hartford Line CTtransit Bus: 24, 96, 905
	271 (436)	Hartford	Hartford Union Station	Amtrak: Hartford Line, Northeast Regional, Valley Flyer CTrail: Hartford Line CTfastrak: 101 Hartford/New Britain, 102 Hartford/New Britain/Bristol, 128 Hartford/Westfarms-New Britain CTtransit Bus: 30, 45X, 62, 64, 66, 72, 74, 82, 83, 84, 901, 902, 903, 904, 905, SC, DASH, PPB
	289 (465)	Meriden	Meriden Transit Center	Amtrak: Hartford Line, Northeast Regional, Valley Flyer CTrail: Hartford Line CTtransit Bus: 215, 561, 563, 564, 565, 950
	308 (496)	New Haven	New Haven Union Station	Amtrak: Acela, Hartford Line, Northeast Regional CTrail: Hartford Line, Shore Line East Metro-North: ■ New Haven Line Local bus: CTtransit New Haven Intercity bus: Greyhound, Peter Pan
	321 (517)	Bridgeport	Bridgeport	Amtrak: Northeast Regional CTrail: Shore Line East Metro-North: ■ New Haven Line, ■ Waterbury Branch Local bus: Greater Bridgeport Transit Authority
	344 (554)	Stamford	Stamford Transportation Center	Amtrak: Acela, Northeast Regional CTrail: Shore Line East Metro-North: ■ New Haven Line, ■ New Canaan Branch Local bus: CTtransit Stamford Intercity bus: Greyhound
NY	379 (610)	New York	New York Penn Station	Amtrak (long-distance): Adirondack, Cardinal, Crescent, Lake Shore Limited, Palmetto, Pennsylvanian, Silver Meteor, Silver Star Amtrak (intercity): Acela, Berkshire Flyer, Carolinian, Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Keystone Service, Maple Leaf, Northeast Regional Long Island Rail Road: ■ City Terminal Zone, ■ Port Washington Branch NJ Transit: ■ North Jersey Coast Line, ■ Northeast Corridor Line, ■ Gladstone Branch, ■ Montclair-Boonton Line, ■ Morristown Line NYC Subway: ​​​​ Local bus: MTA Bus
NJ	390 (630)	Newark	Newark Penn Station	Amtrak: Acela, Cardinal, Carolinian, Crescent, Keystone Service, Palmetto, Pennsylvanian, Silver Meteor, Silver Star Newark Light Rail NJ Transit Rail: ■ North Jersey Coast Line, ■ Northeast Corridor Line, ■ Raritan Valley Line PATH: NWK-WTC Local bus: NJ Transit Bus Intercity bus: Greyhound, Coach USA, Fullington Trailways
	404 (650)	Iselin	Metropark	Amtrak: Acela, Keystone Service, Northeast Regional NJ Transit Rail: ■ Northeast Corridor Line Local bus: NJ Transit Bus
	437 (703)	Trenton	Trenton Transit Center	Amtrak: Acela, Cardinal, Carolinian, Crescent, Keystone Service, Northeast Regional, Palmetto, Pennsylvanian, Silver Star, Silver Meteor NJ Transit Rail: ■ Northeast Corridor Line, ■ River Line SEPTA Regional Rail: ■ Trenton Line Local bus: NJ Transit Bus, SEPTA Suburban Bus
PA	470 (760)	Philadelphia	30th Street Station	Amtrak: Acela, Cardinal, Carolinian, Crescent, Keystone Service, Northeast Regional, Palmetto, Pennsylvanian, Silver Meteor, Silver Star SEPTA Regional Rail: all routes NJ Transit Rail: ■ Atlantic City Line SEPTA City Transit: Market-Frankford Subway-Surface Local bus: SEPTA City Bus, SEPTA Suburban Bus, NJ Transit Bus Intercity bus: Megabus, BoltBus, Martz Trailways
DE	496 (798)	Wilmington	Wilmington	Amtrak: Acela, Cardinal, Carolinian, Crescent, Northeast Regional, Palmetto, Silver Meteor, Silver Star SEPTA Regional Rail: ■ Wilmington/​Newark Line Local bus: DART First State Intercity bus: Greyhound
MD	564 (908)	Baltimore	Baltimore Penn Station	Amtrak: Acela, Cardinal, Carolinian, Crescent, Keystone Service, Northeast Regional, Palmetto, Pennsylvanian, Silver Meteor, Silver Star MARC: ■ Penn Line Light RailLink Local bus: MTA Maryland, Charm City Circulator
	575 (925)	Linthicum	BWI Airport	Amtrak: Acela, Crescent, Northeast Regional MARC: ■ Penn Line Shuttle to Baltimore/Washington International Airport Local bus: MTA Maryland, UMBC Transit
	596 (959)	New Carrollton	New Carrollton	Amtrak: Northeast Regional MARC: ■ Penn Line Metro: Orange Line Local bus: Metrobus, TheBus, MTA Maryland Intercity bus: Greyhound
DC	605 (974)	Washington	Washington Union Station	Amtrak: Acela, Capitol Limited, Cardinal, Carolinian, Crescent, Northeast Regional, Palmetto, Silver Meteor, Silver Star, Thruway Motorcoach MARC: ■ Brunswick Line, ■ Camden Line, ■ Penn Line Virginia Railway Express: ■ Manassas Line, ■ Fredericksburg Line Metro: Red Line DC Streetcar: H Street/Benning Road Line Local bus: Metrobus, DC Circulator, MTA Maryland, Loudoun County Transit, PRTC Buses Intercity bus: Greyhound, Megabus, BoltBus, BestBus, Peter Pan, OurBus

See also

• Adirondack (train)
• Ethan Allen Express
• Maple Leaf (train)

References

Notes

Further reading

• Solomon, Brian (2004). Amtrak. Saint Paul, Minnesota: MBI. ISBN 978-0-7603-1765-5.

External links

• Vermonter – Amtrak
• Vermont Rail Action Network, an advocacy group for passenger and freight rail in Vermont

---