USA: Regular inter-city trains have begun serving the largest city in Vermont following a gap of 69 years, with the extension of Amtrak’s Ethan Allen Express to Burlington.
The daily train to and from New York previously terminated at Rutland, Vermont, but has now been extended north by 115 km to Burlington, also calling at Vergennes and Middlebury, where new facilities have been developed as part of a state-funded project launched in 2019. The restored former Rutland Railway station on Burlington’s Lake Champlain waterfront is also used for excursions operated by Vermont Rail System.
The Ethan Allen Express departs from Burlington at 10.10 and arrives at New York Penn Station at 17.45. The northbound train leaves New York at 14.21 and reaches Burlington at 21.55.
The extended service was launched with a ceremony at Burlington’s Union Station on July 29 attended by Vermont Governor Phil Scott, Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger, Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner and FRA Deputy Administrator Jennifer Mitchell.
‘Vermont has committed more than $115m in state and federal resources, as well as decades of hard work by the Agency of Transportation and its partners, to complete this project’, said Scott. ‘All of us here in Vermont are grateful for the support of our federal Department of Transportation partners, our Congressional delegation, state legislators, and countless rail advocates to bring this service to fruition. We are very proud of the collaborative efforts and widespread support to deliver passenger train service from Vermont’s largest city to New York City.’
‘This long-desired service will give a boost to our economic recovery at a critical time, and give travellers a new, lower-carbon connection to New York and the rest of the Amtrak system’, added Weinberger.
Burlington is also served by an Amtrak bus shuttle from Essex Junction, 9 km to the east, which connects with the Washington DC – New York – Springfield – St Albans Vermonter. Journey time to New York via that route is 8 h 45 min.
