A draft report has been released on extending passenger rail service from the capital region of New York into southwestern Vermont. Several proposals on what could cost up to $200 million are outlined in a report that will be described in public meetings in New York and Vermont on December 14 and 15.
The most elaborate of the proposals (see cost chart and maps below) has a full loop that would extend service all the way from Albany to Rutland and going through North Bennington on the way up and Saratoga Springs on the way back down. Other options include a simple up and back with terminus in alternatively Manchester or Rutland, in what would essentially be a parallel service to the existing Ethan Allen Express. Alternatively, the Ethan Allen could simply be moved from a predominantly New York service to a predominantly Vermont service. Of course, the first proposal in the report is to do nothing.
The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) and the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), in cooperation with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), are working together to identify and establish intercity passenger rail service to parts of southwestern Vermont and eastern central New York, and have scheduled a round of public meetings to gather input on the Phase I Evaluation of Alternatives Report. The Report identifies challenges and opportunities for a number of different routing alternatives, and the capital costs needed to implement passenger rail service. The Report can viewed at http://www.ny-vt-passengerrail.org/documents.html
Public meetings will be held on:
§ Tuesday, December 13, 2011 at 7PM at the Bennington Fire Station, located at 130 River Street, Bennington, VT 05201; and
§ Wednesday, December 14, 2011 at 7PM at the Mechanicville Senior Citizen Center, located at 178 North Main Street, Mechanicville, NY 12118; and
Public involvement is essential for the development and implementation of this planning study. These meetings are the third in a series of four rounds of public meetings that will be held in both Vermont and New York over the course of the study to gather public input on intercity passenger rail service options.
The desired outcome of this study is to develop a preferred transportation alternative that will continue forward into design and construction. When the preferred alternative is identified, the study will proceed with the following major steps:
§ Complete Federal environmental documentation and reviews;
§ Develop preliminary engineering materials; and
§ Develop an implementation plan to identify the management approach and financial plan for the proposed service.
The study is scheduled to be completed by summer 2012.
The project study area, which is generally located between Albany/Rensselaer, NY and Rutland, VT, includes Bennington and Rutland Counties in Vermont, and Rensselaer, Albany, Schenectady, Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties in New York.
Passenger rail is a vital and integrated component of both the Vermont and New York multimodal transportation systems; both states have developed state rail plans to provide a strategic policy framework for maintaining and enhancing their respective rail systems.
The public is encouraged to attend and provided input to the study team. Those unable to attend may provide comments to:
Costa Pappis, VTrans, (802) 828-5790, [email protected]
Tim Conway, NYSDOT, (518) 485-9234, [email protected]
In addition, the public can provide input using the project website comment form. This form and information about the study can be found on the project website at: http://www.ny-vt- passengerrail.org/
NYSDOT 12.1.2011