The Amtrak EAX Connects NYC to Burlington
By Carolinne Griffin
Train train, coming down, down the line.
It’s been decades in the making, but the Ethan Allen Express (EAX) train is finally coming to Burlington. By July 2022, the Amtrak line will extend its roll from New York City up through the current Vermont route, making new stops in Middlebury and Ferrisburgh-Vergennes before ending in Burlington. This is a mega milestone in the effort to create a more sustainable and convenient mode of transport between the Big Apple and the Western Corridor of the Green Mountain State. With the climate crisis going from bad to worse and gas prices averaging nearly $5 per gallon, the EAX train is pulling into the station at the perfect time.
The new service is ideal for visitors, whether you’re coming up from NYC and the Hudson Valley eager to explore the Champlain Valley region or the reverse. On the northbound track, the EAX is expected to depart New York’s Penn Station daily at 2:20 in the afternoon and pull into Burlington around 9:55 at night.
Southbound, the train will leave Burlington at approximately 10:15 in the morning to arrive in NYC close to 6:00—just in time to grab a slice and catch a show. “It’s gonna be a great schedule and a pretty quick timeframe,” says Toni Clithero from the State of Vermont’s Agency of Transportation, who points out that 85% of the travelers on the current Amtrak line come from the New York City area.
With the additional stops in Vermont, the agency is also making a big push to encourage Vermont ridership. There will be the $18 maximum fare for travelers within the state, and for the grand opening, they’ll be offering $1 promotional rides on the EAX to all points within Vermont. “For a dollar, you can get the kids on the choo-choo train. It’s a great event, especially in the summertime.”
Photo by Stephen Mease
Getting a passenger train up to the state’s biggest metropolitan area seems like a no-brainer, and indeed, for years, there’s been robust support for the line. But that doesn’t mean it hasn’t faced significant obstacles. Representative Diane Lanpher, chair of both the House Committee on Transportation and the Vermont Rail Action Network (VRAN), can point to 2009 as a big turning point for the project. When former Governor James Douglas recommended canceling the Ethan Allen Express and only providing a bus from Albany to Rutland, “that call to cancel that service really put it on the radar of importance,” recalls Lanpher.
“People had moved to the Rutland area and used that train to go to work in the city. They never thought the train wouldn’t be there for them.” According to Lanpher, the desire to connect EAX to Burlington was there, but many improvements had to happen first. For passenger rail, it was the installation of continuous welded rail to eliminate the clickety-clack of a typical freight track. In addition, the EAX is also getting a much-needed upgrade to the train cars. Folks can expect a more comfortable, quiet ride all around. A lot of consideration has gone into the schedule, as well, to keep the timeline of the service competitive with road travel.
Photo Courtesy of Amtrak:
And there’s more! Commuter trains are next on the state’s wish list, a prospect with many implications, not just for residents but for extended rail travel. As the EAX chugs closer to the July launch date, the state is also working towards connecting the other Amtrak line, called the Vermonter, to our Canadian friends up north.
Currently, the Vermonter begins in Washington, D.C., and comes through NYC to Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and slips up the eastern spine of Vermont, crossing through Montpelier, Essex Junction, and terminating in St. Albans. The goal, slated to happen in the next few years, is to continue the train over the international border and end in Montreal.
“You can just imagine, if you could come up on the Ethan Allen [Express], connect over to Essex Junction, now you’ve connected two [Amtrak] trains,” says Lanpher. That means New York City to Montreal via rail is a possibility in the years ahead. “And I know there’s a great desire for Montreal to be an overnight—to leave Montreal and wake up in New York or Boston. That’s on the bigger radar.”
On the environmental radar, though, are the benefits that an uptick in train travel will have on climate change. Evidence shows that rail is a much more sustainable and efficient way of moving people from point A to B than airplanes or private vehicles. With the Biden administration’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030 and decarbonize by 2050, action needs to occur at every level, from industry to consumer.
The transportation sector—cars, trucks, aircraft, railroads, etc.—is one of the heftiest contributors to GHG, responsible for 29% of total U.S. GHG emissions (Environmental Protection Agency, 2019). And in Vermont, it’s even worse—transportation accounts for 47% of the state’s GHG emissions (VRAN). Not great for a state with the word “green” in its moniker.
On the other hand, railroads account for just 2% of national GHG emissions—clearly, a move to train use would be a step in a greener direction. While train travel still has a way to go before reaching net zero, the Federal Railroad Association is doubling down on the effort, funding research on clean, energy-efficient technologies like compressed natural gas, biodiesel, and electric batteries. As a result, freight and passenger rail are expected to reduce their carbon footprint year over year.
The arrival of the EAX is a win-win for wanderlust and for climate progress. But the question remains, will folks ditch the comfort of their vehicles and the zippiness of commercial flights for a ride on the train? Clithero thinks so. “It’s unfathomable what’s going on with gas prices. I think that what we can offer with our Amtrak service is gonna be extremely competitive.” Not to mention enjoyable. “Once you get on the train, you flop in that seat with that big window; it’s like your vacation starts. You just relax.”
READ MORE ARTICLES
