Vermont Rail Action Network

Speeds on Amtrak's Vermont within Vermont will increase in March, thanks to stimulus-funded investment in the New England Central Railroad which will raise speeds from 55 to 59 mph north of White River Junction and 59 to 79 mph south of there.  The new schedule is shown at right. [Not all stations south of Massachusetts are shown]

It will take another year or so for the rewly reconstructed line in Massachusetts to open, eliminating the Palmer backup move and removing another 30 minutes or more from the timing.  Further speed increases are coming on the Connecticut portion of the line by 2016.

Below the Vermont state border, the train's schedule remains unchanged; departure has been pushed back 28 minutes and arrival is a like amount earlier.

The new schedule takes effect March 18th.  Higher speed limits will be in effect begining March 11th, giving crews time to get used to operating the route at a faster clip.

This good news is also a good occassion for a safety reminder.  Trains at crossings will be approaching more quickly so we urge appropriate caution to keep safe.  Safety first means never trying to beat the train.  Always expect a train at any time and be sure you approach crossings at what is known on the railroad as "restricted speed," defined as able to stop within one half of the range of vision.

Crossing gates and flashers will be re-timed to continue to provide at least 20 seconds warning, the same as before, however at crossings without lights or flashers, remember any old instincts will no longer apply.

Explained below is the procurement process that led to its selection of Colorado Railcar DMUs and in a separate, but related RFP called the “Corridor Partial Competition Pilot Program” its award of $2,000,000 to Vermont. The RFP is quoted below.

“In 2005, Congress directed a demonstration of potential state corridor route competition under PL-108-199 and set aside $2.48 million for a pilot competitive state route project. In its April 2005 Strategic Reform Initiatives, Amtrak agreed to work with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to advance such a pilot project. Pursuant to its FY06 Grant Agreement with the FRA, Amtrak is now soliciting proposals for a pilot trial of State and/or private participation in the provision of intercity passenger rail service requested by a State that can be demonstrated to reduce the cost to Amtrak and to the State of providing that service and/or improve the quality of that service. Except for providing the locomotive engineer for a proposed pilot program train, all services provided directly by Amtrak shall be considered eligible under this RFP.”

Amtrak had 2.48 million dollars to conduct a test of improved operations on a selected corridor. The proposal we submitted to do this test indicated a willingness to use the new DMU technology which Amtrak has selected ultimately for use nationwide on secondary lines. $2,000,000 of this money was awarded to Vermont. A critical section of our response to the Amtrak RFP is quoted below.

“In the fall of 2005, Vermont Agency of Transportation entered into discussion with Amtrak about the current Vermont state supported services. Driven by the Amtrak board’s decision to bring all states up to a level of contract funding that covered all direct cost incurred by Amtrak, the parties agreed that if current levels of service were to continue, some significant changes to the service would need to be made. Gil Mallery, VP of Planning & Business Development, arranged a meeting with Charlie Miller from VTrans, Mark Yachmetz from the Federal Railroad Administration and Arthur Rader from Colorado Rail Car to discuss opportunities for purchase of equipment that would better fit the Vermont model for intercity passenger service. Amtrak had been working with Colorado Rail Car on the development of an equipment specification for a “Rail Diesel Car”. It was obvious to all the parties at the meeting that equipment under development by Colorado Rail Car would meet the anticipated use in corridors such as the Vermonter and Ethan Allen Express.

Shortly after this meeting Gil Mallery and Jeff Mann made a proposal to Agency Secretary Dawn Terrill and Deputy Secretary David Dill on the benefits of moving from Vermont’s current equipment situation to utilization of the new DMU technology. Based on a review by the Amtrak planning department, Vermont could actually increase the frequency on the Vermonter to two trains daily for the approximate cost of the current service”.

Completely separate from the Route Test RFP was Amtrak’s internal procurement process that selected the new DMU technology. Amtrak selected the Colorado Railcar DMU only after a full-scale and completely proper internal procurement review, including the opportunity for competitive bidding. The winner of the Amtrak equipment bid process was the Colorado Railcar DMU.

When its budget allocations permit Amtrak plans to order a full fleet of these cars (initially 17 and potentially up to 40 cars), but in the short-term it wants to facilitate a Federal/State partnership to test if the new technology can seriously improve operations and financial performance on at least one appropriate route. As the DMUs are intended for rural and branch-line conditions the VERMONTER route was an ideal candidate. We were awarded the $2,000,000 to conduct this test. Amtrak legitimately expects that we do it using the technology we described in our bid and which Amtrak approved.

Ø Amtrak wants new, rather than rebuilt equipment, as they want to test new generation cars. As I mentioned, Amtrak has a perfectly legitimate interest in trying to simplify its fleet by operating only equipment of a fairly standardized form, which does not require, as 1950s RDCs would, the actual recreation in machine shops of many parts. Amtrak had a very bad experience in the 1970s operating RDCs, which even then were suffering from advanced age-related maintenance issues.

Ø Amtrak granted Vermont $2,000,000 of the 2.48 million total available for the partnership test program—a very generous response indeed!

Ø But tied to the two million dollars was the expectation that we would carry out the intended test using the equipment which Amtrak had selected and based on the service plan that we had outlined. This included use of the new DMUs.

Ø If we don’t conduct the route experiment using the new DMUs we should clearly understand that we will not get the $2,000,000.

Ø We would be VERY unlikely to get rebuilt RDCs approved for use in this test, because for better or for worse the RDC is a long-established technology.

[Adopted from a memo to the Vermont State legislature by Carl Fowler]

The added White River Jct.-New Haven train frequency in the Colorado railcar DMU plan and the knowlege corridor plan 1b restores connections to Amtrak’s Chicago, West Coast and Florida routes. Before schedule changes imposed by Amtrak for operational reasons broke these connections to the existing train, they typically accounted for 25+ passengers daily. The restored St. Albans-Montreal VT/”Ambus” connection should also produce at minimum 25 passengers each day. Combined these actions alone raise ridership by 50+ per day.

The dmu proposal offers the certainty of major cost savings combined with a significant improvement in service. DMUs have become the world-wide standard for branch-line and secondary passenger services in the last ten years. They can produce a remarkable improvement in Amtrak’s finances and ridership in Vermont and deeply cut Vermont’s subsidy for the service.

DMUs as a technology offer many advantages:

Ø DMUS reduce fuel expense because of reduced weight and more efficient design. They offer up to a 500% improvement in fuel consumption compared with the use of two conventional diesel engines, as required by the present Amtrak equipment. On a 600-mile round trip from St. Albans to New Haven CT, a DMU set, at a very conservative $1.80 per gallon diesel fuel cost, would save $2,956 per day in fuel costs. In a year, the DMU would save $1,078,940.

Ø Total DMU savings are even greater, because maintenance cost is reduced by tailoring the length of the train to demand and using new cars which require less expensive overhauls. The DMU equipment, if used on a single round-trip daily, will require $693,000 per year for maintenance compared to $2,350,000 for the present Amfleet locomotive-hauled train, a savings of $1,657,000 per year. The Amfleet cars presently in use are 25-30 years old.

Ø Combined, the fuel and maintenance savings for the DMUs on just a single round-trip daily saves $2,735,940 per year.

Ø Compared to the $17,176,415 purchase price for the DMUs, the fuel and maintenance savings alone pay for the cars in only 6.3 years!

Ø DMUs are 75% less noisy than conventional diesel engines.

Ø DMUs produce 72% less pollution than conventional diesels.

Ø DMUs offer greater acceleration, permitting faster and more frequent service on the route. Modern DMUs are fully capable of 70-80 mph operation.

Ø DMUs are fully compliant with current U.S. crash-safety requirements.

Ø DMUs can pull up to two additional unpowered coaches. This allows for expanded passenger capacity without adding another engine, crew or train.

Ø DMUs have been successfully tested in Alaska under the most demanding mountain conditions and on grades much steeper than anywhere in Vermont. DMUs can operate through ice and snow and are much less likely to be delayed by storms than either air or highway transportation.

Ø DMUs reduce station and terminal costs. Platforms can be shorter, maintenance is simplified, and less space is required in yards for service and storage.

Ø New DMUs offer higher standards of passenger comfort. The nearly 30-year old coaches used on the VERMONTER have tiny windows and cramped passenger seats. Contemporary DMUs can be ordered with large picture windows, an efficient on-train café, more spacious seating, and built-in facilities for bikes and skis. This is particularly important on the VERMONTER, since the train no longer has a baggage car.

Ø The operational savings from using DMUs make it practical to add a second round-trip between White River Junction and New Haven. The incremental cost for fuel and maintenance to add this service is only $271,000 per year, but passenger loadings can be expected to soar and more than recover those costs. Amtrak has found repeatedly that more-frequent service dramatically improves train economics. Illinois just added one additional daily train between Chicago and Carbondale. Business grew 61% in the first month. Between Chicago and St. Louis, the addition of two daily trains produced a first month growth of 91% on the route!

Ø A second DMU train each day would restore connections to the Chicago, west coast and Florida Amtrak services, generating 25-30 more passengers per day.

Ø Because of the DMUs faster acceleration, an overall schedule improvement is possible which could allow the VERMONTER to connect at New Haven to Amtrak’s 135 mph ACELA EXPRESS. This would provide schedule reductions of up to a full hour enroute to Washington DC.

Ø The DMUs provide better viewing of the beauty of Vermont with their much larger picture windows. Combined with their more spacious seats and interiors, this will encourage more ridership and further reduce costs.

Ø A two-car DMU can replace a five-car conventional train. At present, Amtrak is forced to pull the equivalent of three empty coaches which are needed only south of New Haven. This would reduce fuel, crew, and maintenance costs.

Ø Additional DMUs could be used to institute service from Burlington to Middlebury, Rutland, Manchester, Bennington and Albany at a fraction of the cost of a locomotive-hauled train. Because of their lighter weight, they can operate at marketable speeds over more lightly-built track, which is exactly what exists on this route. While some upgrading still would be needed, much of this work is completed.

[adopted from testimony by Carl Fowler before the Vermont legislature]

The most critical needs for the VERMONTER are new equipment, aggressive local marketing and coordination of the train with local connecting buses.

Ø Marketing should be targeted primarily at in-state media sources. In the past, emphasis was placed on out-of-state advertising of Vermont Amtrak services. While it is true that an ad in the Sunday New York Times Magazine may reach several million readers, the number of those readers intending to travel to Vermont is likely to be limited. For the same cost as a single ad in the Times, the message could be repeated for weeks in the local Vermont papers.

Ø In a general way, Vermonters know the train exists; but they have little real knowledge of where or when it goes or how comfortable, reliable and convenient the service is. By advertising locally, we can sell the benefits of using the train to ski, visit family, sightsee, attend the theater in New York, or take the family to the Philadelphia Flower Show.

Ø The trains need to be coordinated with local transit. The state should immediately charter a replacement connecting bus from St. Albans to Montreal. This service produced an average of 20-25 passengers per day for the train, most of them riding long-distances at higher fares. When VT dropped the Montreal service, the state did not pick it up as a state charter. A great part of the decline in VERMONTER patronage ensued. California is the national model for “Ambus” operations. Experience there has shown that an average of 20-25 passengers per day will more than pay for added bus connections.

Ø Existing local bus services should be coordinated with the train. The most obvious examples are Stowe to Waterbury; Newport to St. Johnsbury and White River Junction; Okemo/Ludlow to Chester and Bellows Falls; and Mount Snow to Wilmington and Brattleboro. To succeed, these services must appear in the Amtrak timetable, be ticket-able by any Amtrak agent, and closely coordinated to the arrival times of the train.

Ø We should seek agreement with Massachusetts to rebuild the track from East Northfield VT to Springfield MA. This would speed up operations to New Haven by nearly an hour and add the large population centers of Greenfield, Northampton and Holyoke to the route. It eliminates the time-consuming directional reverse at Palmer MA on the present route and shortens the line. With a pro-rail administration in Boston and our pro-rail VT/MAdelegations in Washington, this could now very well be possible.

We need to continue the VERMONTER and improve its services. The DMU plan should be adopted and fully funded.

[Adopted from testimony by Carl Fowler before the Vermont legislature]

In an attempt to maintain Amtrak services while mitigating the cost increases, VTrans has proposed purchasing 3 self-propelled passenger rail vehicles (called “DMUs” short for “diesel multiple units”) and 2 coaches to be manufactured by Colorado Railcar Manufacturing, LLC (“CRC”).

The annual cost of maintaining the state’s two Amtrak services, the Vermonter and the Ethan Allen, is going to increase significantly absent Congressional action, and the state’s options are limited. Under current federal policy, Amtrak is requiring the state to absorb all of the direct and indirect costs of the services. By FY13, when the phase-in of these costs is completed, the annual state cost of the existing services is projected to be $6.62 million.