State: Amtrak’s Vermonter likely to return after state budget passes

September 17, 2020  |  By Phoebe Denton | Community News Service

The Waterbury train station has been quiet in recent months with Amtrak service suspended and the GMCR Cafe and Visitors Center closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. File photo by Gordon Miller.

Although details on timing are unclear, Amtrak trains will likely return to Vermont soon after state lawmakers pass a budget during a special session this month, according to Vermont Transportation Secretary Joe Flynn. 

“We are hopeful that by the end of September, the House and Senate will have passed the budget. That is a significant reason Amtrak has not returned at this point,” Flynn said during an online meeting Sept. 9 of the Vermont Rail Advisory Council 

Local rail advocates have bemoaned the loss of Amtrak trains to Waterbury since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and they say that the loss of service has been a hit to the local economy. Since late March, Amtrak’s Vermonter line goes no further north than New Haven, Conn. 

In other words, the Vermonter doesn’t come to Vermont anymore. When in service, the line carried passengers between Washington, D.C., and St. Albans. Likewise, Amtrak’s Ethan Allen Express which runs between New York City and Rutland is currently not traveling past Albany, N.Y.

When the service resumes, policies like a mandatory 14-day quarantine for people arriving from out of state by train would apply to rail passengers, Flynn said. Officials continue to monitor public transportation and COVID-19 data in order to follow guidelines for Amtrak to return.

“It’s my hope that within a short period of time we can announce an intended date at which we provide Amtrak with a 30-day window to begin [service] restoration,” Flynn said. 

Amtrak shut down all operations in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and service has slowly resumed across parts of the country.

Gov. Phil Scott mentioned Amtrak service at his Friday press briefing on Sept. 11. “I’ve heard there is some news that they [Amtrak] want to come to Rutland first in the coming weeks,” Scott said.

The governor explained that although ridership of all public transportation is down now, state government is committed to working with Amtrak to get back on track safely. This includes the Agency of Transportation and the Health Department working together. “In the next two to three months, we will see Amtrak running again in the state,” Scott said.

Local advocates say that the lack of Amtrak service in Vermont is detrimental to the communities that relied on those travelers.

“We are patiently waiting for the return of Amtrak to Waterbury,” said Karen Nevin, executive director of the nonprofit Revitalizing Waterbury. “All the community can do is upkeep the station so it’s ready” for Amtrak’s return.

The lack of passenger-train traffic has been a hit to the community’s economy, Nevin said. “The stop served as an opportunity for those in other New England cities and even rural Vermont to experience the town’s shops and restaurants.” 

The Waterbury station has an Amtrak waiting and receiving area and a Community Room with information about local attractions where guides at busy times would help direct travelers and answer questions. The large seating area adjacent to the Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Cafe with tables and Wi-Fi is a popular place for locals and travelers alike to gather, socialize and work. 

The cafe and visitors center remains closed since March 15. Reopening the facility is mainly tied to decision-making at Keurig Dr. Pepper, the parent company to that operation, company officials have said in recent public communications. 

Prior to 2020, returning train service to Waterbury was a decades-long project. 

Efforts began in 1997 to restore the downtown train station while maintaining the historical and structural integrity of the original building, built by the Central Vermont Railroad in 1875. 

Revitalizing Waterbury, a nonprofit organization set on preserving and enhancing Waterbury’s economic, historic, and social vitality, purchased the train station and led the effort to restore it, opening in 2006. 

State officials at last week’s rail meeting acknowledged the role rail service plays in Vermont communities and the importance of timing in looking for its return this fall. 

“The lack of Amtrak in Vermont grows more impactful with October around the corner, the busiest and most profitable month for Vermont and Waterbury’s train system,” said Carl Fowler, a member of the Vermont Rail Advisory Council and the previous Vice Chair of the Rail Passenger’s Association. 

“People that rely on these railways such as students, veterans, and groups seeking medical attention who in some cases are paying $300 a week to reach an appointment without access to the train,” Fowler said.

In an unusual move due to the economic uncertainty brought by the pandemic, the Vermont Legislature in June approved a $3 billion partial state budget for fiscal year 2020-21 covering expenses from July through September. Lawmakers reconvened Aug. 25 to hammer out the spending plan for the remaining nine months. The House last week passed a $7.1 billion budget bill that the Senate will act on next. The special session is to last no longer than Sept. 25. 

Reached this week, Amtrak spokesman Jason Abrams said he had no comment on the timing for resuming service to Vermont and whether it would be tied to decisions on the state budget. “We will return our trains to service in a similar manner to how we took them out of service – by monitoring demand, working with our partners, and continuing to prioritize the safety of Amtrak’s customers and employees,” he replied in an email to Waterbury Roundabout.

Community News Service is a collaboration with the University of Vermont’s Reporting & Documentary Storytelling program.