VTrans file photo of Amtrak stopping in Waterbury in 2019. The Vermont Amtrak routes are among the last in the nation to resume service since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020. No date for their resumption has been provided.
by Carl Fowler Vermont's Amtrak trains have now been gone for almost a year. When they do return, we will be virtually initiating new services. This can’t wait any longer.
For many months I've supported (albeit reluctantly) their suspension, because of the tragic second wave of the pandemic. But with vaccinations finally here, with new cases and deaths (albeit slowly) declining and the return of warmer weather, I think it's time to revisit this issue.
Let's consider what might be a sane strategy to restore our Amtrak trains before the busy spring/summer/fall travel season.
I suggest VTrans and Amtrak announce a restart date at least two months in advance. This will allow us to measure the success/spread of vaccinations, the level of continued community viral spread and provide time to do significant marketing of the restored services.
We should announce an Amtrak restart date beginning Friday, May 28, 2021.
That will permit us to serve riders over Memorial Day Weekend and throughout the peak months for travel to Vermont. It will also give us the chance to set a date far enough ahead that if--God truly forbid--the pandemic situation deteriorates again, we could further postpone.
Operational safety requires Amtrak to do 6-8 weeks of crew re-qualification trips prior to a service relaunch. There must be time for passengers to learn of the restored trains, plan their trips, make reservations and for demand to rebuild. A date at the end of May accommodates all of those concerns and to follow COVID cases.
Delaying until the vaccination process is fully complete means losing the entire summer season and reflects a deep level of pessimism not otherwise echoed in Vermont's COVID emergency policies. We will never be absolutely safe.
We now allow both residents and visitors to skip quarantine when visiting Vermont, if they have received their full vaccination dosage(s) and been disease free for the medically required time thereafter. Indoor dining is available. Our ski resorts are running, and hotels are open.
We enforce no restrictions on auto access to the state (other than the forced closure of the Canadian border). We do not restrict air travelers and we continue to allow interstate bus service to operate on I 91 north to White River Jct. Intra-state buses are running between our towns as well. Only Amtrak/passenger rail remains out of service – even though it seems realistically to be the safest mode of public transportation in the emergency.
Amtrak continues to enforce the strongest personal protection rules of any carrier.
Each passenger in coach or business class is assured the use of effectively two seats--as capacity remains capped at 50 percent. Masks are required on-board, even at seat. Food service has been modified to eliminate shared tables between strangers even in dining cars. Air filtration has been upgraded so that each car has its internal air exchanged 12 times per hour. Car cleaning is done not only at terminals, but also en route.
The earlier CARES bills and the pending COVID Relief Legislation both contain direct funds to help the states with the costs of what normally are 100 percent state-supported Amtrak routes. We have made no operational use of these appropriations. Use of these resources could dramatically reduce our operating expenses.
Vermont is now a true outlier in so completely blocking its trains. All other Amtrak routes (except those impacted by the closure of the Canadian border) are now offering at least some service.
Indeed the New York-Toronto MAPLE LEAF is still operating from New York to Niagara Falls.
Here in New England the Boston-Portland-Brunswick DOWNEASTER has gone from a brief total suspension to running one weekday round-trip, now to four daily trips and has just announced plans to resume all five normal runs by June.
Even on the southern part of the VERMONTER route the VALLEY FLYER remains in service from Greenfield, MA to New Haven, CT.
New York state continues to operate the ETHAN ALLEN EXPRESS between New York and Albany.
If you are a Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, or Connecticut resident you live in one of the states which normally contract with Amtrak for the VERMONTER and ETHAN ALLEN trains.
If you would like to see them restarted a brief letter, card, email and/or a call expressing that wish to your local representatives and senators (at both the state and Federal levels) and to your state's governor, would be immediately helpful.
The time has come to reconnect Vermont, the Lake George/Saratoga region of New York and northern New England to the national rail network!
Carl Fowler is a Williston resident. He is the Emeritus Past Vice Chair of the Rail Passengers Association, a member of the Vermont Rail Advisory Council, a 50+ year advocate for passenger rail services and a retired operator of a rail specialist travel and tour company. He has traveled over 350,000 miles by train.