Skip to main content
An Official Vermont Government Website

Reports & Plans

Vermont Rail Plan

The 2025 update of the Rail Plan is moving right along.  Thank you to all who are participating.  We are refreshing and enhancing the 2021 Rail Plan.

Draft and final elements of the 2025 Rail Plan will be posted on this page. You will also find links to participate in the range of ways we’re telling the story and listening to you.  The links include an interactive webtool, short videos, and meeting materials.

The Rail Plan guides the future of intercity passenger rail (Amtrak) and freight rail.  The coordinated update of the Vermont Freight Plan will follow the Rail Plan.  In addition, watch for the Rail Corridor ID study over the next few years.

It is important to maintain a current rail plan to

  • provide rail transportation options using Amtrak
  • move freight efficiently—it is very efficient to move heavy goods by rail
  • meet Federal requirements and remain eligible for certain grant programs
  • support Vermont goals such as in the Long-Range Transportation Plan and Comprehensive Energy Plan.

 

The Vermont Rail Advisory Council (VRAC) helps guide the update of rail plans and their quarterly meetings are an opportunity to stay current on all rail matters. 

Development of 2025 Vermont Rail Plan

Introductory and Interactive Contents

  • Video: “The Importance of Rail to Transportation in Vermont” – In under five minutes, why passenger and freight rail matter to you and how you can participate in updating the Vermont Rail Plan
  • Interactive Webtool -The webtool is for exploring the preliminary draft recommendations in the context of various layers of maps and providing comments.
  • Draft Storymap – Scroll and interact with this summary of the draft 2025 Rail Plan and let us know how to make it even more useful.
  • Draft 2025 Rail Plan (to be posted 6/2) – Comments are due 6/17/25 for the version that will be submitted for review by the Federal Rail Administration.

Meeting Material

  • Public Meeting #3 – The third and final public meetings will be Monday, 6/9//2025, from 2:30 to 4:00 PM online and in-person. Please participate in person if you can at 111 State Street in Montpelier, next door to the State House.  either way, register using this link (coming soon). Meeting materials will be posted in this folder: Meeting Documents
  • Public Meeting #2 – This meeting was 3/10/2025 at the Brattleboro Municipal Center and online.  Materials are available in this folder: Meeting Documents
  • Public Meeting #1 - This meeting was 10/23/2024 from 5:30 to 7:00 PM online and at the St.Albans Municipal Building. Meeting materials are available in this folder: Meeting Documents
  • Kick-off presentation to VRAC  (8/13/2024)

Additional items will follow as they become available.

 

Sample of Previous Reports

2021 Vermont Rail Plan

 

2016 Northern New England Intercity Rail Initiative (NNEIRI) – VTrans with surrounding states conducted 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 routes. 2016 NNEIRI Summary.

2014 NY - VT Bi-State Intercity Passenger Rail Study - 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.

 

Contact

VTrans Planning Coordinator Zoe Neaderland: Zoe.Neaderland@vermont.gov or (802) 793-2778.