State Rail Plan
Thank you to all who participated in updating the Vermont Rail Plan! The range of products are available below. Visit the main Rail Program page for updates on the restart of Amtrak service in Vermont. Focus now shifts to finishing the update of the multimodal State Freight Plan and implementation.
It is important to maintain a current, well-thought-through rail plan to
- Support and enhance Vermont’s economy and quality of life
- Provide rail transportation options for intercity and interstate travel
- Meet Federal requirements and remain eligible for certain grant programs
- Support goals such as in the Vermont Long-Range Transportation Plan and Comprehensive Energy Plan.
The Vermont Rail Advisory Council (VRAC) helped guide the update of the Rail Plan and their meetings are an opportunity to hear about progress on implementation. Look for updates on this page and on VTrans social media especially leading up to Train Day each year. Train Day is the Saturday closest to May 10, when the first transcontinental railroad in the U.S. was completed in 1869.
Vermont Rail Plan
- Executive Summary - coded for Section 508 compliance (5/7/2021)
- 2021 Rail Plan (5/20/2021)
- Rail Plan summary for people interested in greenhouse gas (GHG) and fuel use reduction (5/20/2021)
- Rail Plan summary for people interested in economic development (5/20/2021)
Newsletters and Outreach Material
- Interactive web map with useful rail planning contents (continuously updated)
- Final Rail Presentation to Vermont Rail Advisory Council (03/25/2021)
- Handout on Initiatives, Analysis, and Recommendations (05/24/2021)
- Video of Town Hall #2 - Held December 17, 2020 (1 hour 16 mins)
- Town Hall #2 Slide Deck (12/16/2020)
- Video of Town Hall #1 - Held October 06, 2020 (63mins)
- Town Hall #1 Slide Deck
- Newsletter #3 (Winter 2020)
- Newsletter #2 (Fall 2020)
- Newsletter #1 (Spring 2020)
Technical Memos, Reports, & Resources
- Tech Memo #6: Stakeholder Outreach
- Tech Memo #5: Prioritization and Investment Program
- Tech Memo #4: Passenger Rail Ridership Forecast
- Tech Memo #3: Vision, Goals, Needs, and Potential Initiatives
- Draft Rail Initiative Analysis Workbook (01/07/2021)
- Tech Memo #2: Commodity Flow and Economic Futures
- Tech Memo #1: Data Collection and Existing Conditions
- Federal Guidance for State Rail Plans
Contact
VTrans Planning Coordinator Zoe Neaderland: Zoe.Neaderland@vermont.gov or (802) 793-2778.
Sample of Previous Reports
2015 Vermont State Rail Plan (previous rail plan)
2014 NY - VT Bi-State Intercity Passenger Rail Study that included a service design for intercity passenger rail service linking Rutland VT, Manchester VT, North Bennington VT, and Mechanicville NY to Albany NY and New York NY utilizing rail lines from Vermont Railway, Pan Am, and CSX: Service Development Plan; Preliminary Engineering; Final Environmental Assessment.
2000 and on, Boston/Montreal High-Speed Rail (BMHSR) Corridor studies were launched after Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire successfully applied to Federal Rail Administration for one of two potential new National corridors: It has since expanded to become the Northern New England Intercity Rail Initiative (NNEIRI). NNEIRI is a conceptual planning study to examine adding more frequent and higher speed rail service on two rail corridors, the Inland Route (Boston-Springfield-NYC) and the Boston-to-Montreal Route: 2003 Phase 1 BMHSR Planning and Feasibility Study; 2016 NNEIRI Summary.