Monday, April 7, 2014

Quebec, New England Study ‘Montrealer’ Restoration

(SOURCE:  Trains.com Newswire)

GREENFIELD, Mass. – Transportation officials on both sides of the border are looking at reestablishing passenger rail service north of St. Albans, Vt., to Montreal, the Greenfield Recorder reports. The Inland Rail Study is looking at a 484-mile route from Boston to Montreal. Currently, Amtrak's Vermonter terminates in St. Albans.

The expansion was the topic of a recent meeting of the Franklin County Regional Planning Board.

Amtrak operated a New York City to Montreal train through Vermont, called the Montrealer, from the 1970s until 1995. That year, the train was replaced with the Vermonter and New York to Montreal service continued as the Adirondack in New York west of Lake Champlain. However, public officials have long wanted to restore the service through the Green Mountain State.

The Inland Rail Study is undertaken in collaboration with departments of transportation in Quebec, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut and support from the Federal Railroad Administration. It is unclear of the exact route of the proposed train, but it would likely follow the current Vermonter route. Amtrak and its partner freight railroads are already working on track to increase speeds on the route.

No comments:

Post a Comment