Vermont Rail Action Network

The Vermont Agency of Transportation has released the status of bridge load ratings on the Western Corridor.  This is state owned track, run by the Vermont Railway, on which the state is responsible for bridge maintainance.  

From North Bennington to Rutland there are 40 bridges.  23 have been load rated.  Only 5 of these are rated for the national 286,000 lb weight limit.  Four more are proposed for work in FY 2014 to bring them to this standard, including bridges in Clarendon, Dorset, Manchester, Sunderland and Shaftsbury.

From Rutland to Burlington there are 42 bridges. 24 have been load rated.  18 are rated for 286,000 lbs.  Four more are proposed for work in 2014 to bring them to this standard, including bridges in New Haven, Middlebury, Salsbury and Pittsford.  Bridge 219 in Pittsford at Florence is the last barrier to bringing 286,000 lb railcars to Omya.

Some years ago a $30 million earmark designated for the western corridor was secured by Senator Jim Jeffords.  Much of that earmark remains.  After being essentially unspent by the Douglas administration, the money is now funding various bridge and rail projects.  A complete breakdown of the status of funds and projects is here, provided by the Agency of Transportation.  A significant chunk of funds had been designated for the Middlebury spur, but that project is now canceled.  At the moment about 1.8 million has been spent, 6.1 percent has been committed to projects (ie contracted or in the contracting phase - what is known as "obligated") and 21.4 million is preliminarily designated for a series of projects.  To date, funding has gone mostly to the North Avenue tunnel in Burlington, and a half million dollar highway study undertaken by reginonal planning organizations.  Projects obligated include 1.8 million dollars of welded rail and a range of bridge projects.  Proposed spending includes 8 million dollars worth of welded rail and a vareity of bridge projects. The earmark will not cover all the welded rail needed to upgrade the line, nor will it cover desirable highway crossing upgrades.

In 2007, eleven railroad companies operate or have trackage rights in Vermont. There are approximately 600 miles of operating rail line in Vermont's rail system of which some 305 miles are owned by the State. An addition 148 miles is rail banked, most of which are “rail trail”.

The rail system in Vermont is part of a regional, national and international transportation network. Most railroad activity in Vermont is freight traffic; although, interstate, intrastate and excursion passenger services are also important to rail operations and the Vermont economy.

Scheduled passenger service includes one north and one south bound daily Amtrak trips that connect Vermont cities and towns (St. Albans, Essex Junction, Waterbury, Montpelier, Randolph, White River Junction, Windsor, Bellows Falls and Brattleboro), stops in Massachusetts and Connecticut, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. (Vermonter) and one north and one south bound daily Amtrak runs connecting Rutland and Fair Haven, Albany, N.Y. and New York City (Ethan Allen Express).

Seasonal Vermont Rail System tourist excursion trains include the Green Mountain Railroad