Amtrak train and bus service will resume in Vermont on July 19, more than a year after it shut down because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Vermont Transportation Secretary Joe Flynn said Thursday he was pleased to announce the reopening of passenger rail service and inter-city bus service.
“With the governor’s announcement this week of the Vermont Forward Plan to reopen Vermont fully during the next few months, we now have a target date for when we will be able to safely resume Amtrak and transit services in July,” Flynn said.
The governor’s plan slowly works up to a full reopening of the state by July 4, relaxing masking and gathering requirements along the way. The plan is based on Vermont’s projected vaccination rates, which indicate that 60% to 70% of all Vermonters will be fully vaccinated by early June.
Amtrak service in Vermont was suspended March 26, 2020, after Gov. Phil Scott declared a state of emergency.
Amtrak requires at least 90-day notice from the state to resume its passenger rail service, according to a press release from the Agency of Transportation. Amtrak staff must complete route certification to prepare for resumption of service, and the additional time also allows more passengers to buy tickets in anticipation of the returning train service.
Vermont has two Amtrak lines: The Vermonter, which runs between Washington, D.C., and St. Albans, and the Ethan Allen Express, which links New York City and Rutland. The trains make multiple stops in between.
Amtrak also has two bus lines with service to Vermont. VT Translines provides service between Colchester and Albany, New York, and the Route 7 towns in between, and also runs the Amtrak Vermont Shires Connector, with service from Bennington and Mancehster to Albany.
Greyhound buses typically connect Springfield, Massachusetts, to Montreal, but with the Canadian border’s continued closure, service will now stop in Burlington.
— Ellie French
