Passenger Trains > Vermont ridership increases

Vermont ridership increases, but still does not match the levels in the nineties:

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070619/NEWS01/70619001/1009

The mention in the article about service to Burlington via Rutland and Albany is perhaps the best thing Vermont could do for increasing its ridership numbers and servicing Vermont even more by rail. I thought this route between Rutland and Burlington was better than "10 mph running." The article mentions that would be the top speed on certain portions of this route. Course not sure of the extent. I know the state has operated excursion trains on the route between Rutland and Burlington (out of Middlebury, Rutland and Burlington) at a pretty descent speed. I also thought the Amtrak "test train" proved otherwise, but mention was made that upgrades were needed.

I am not sold on the DMU's for the Vermonter. The article indicates ridership is growing, yet contradiction arises by saying the DMU's will provide less capacity. I've also seen this train fill up by the time it departs Brattleboro (southbound), so there's some interesting play here with the article - and the "empty seats."

From the article:

"During a brief stop at Essex Junction on Nov. 21, train conductor Mike Kujala said the locomotive was fully booked, adding, "This has been our best year ever.""

Now those are the seats I want! In the locomotive!! Can you book those online? (gotta love the media...)

Dan

You can twist the facts to say anything you want...While the train may be quite full, say for example, south of White River Jct., it may only have a dozen people on it departing St. Albans. People not familiar with passenger rail or buses have that endpoint mentality from flying all the time. Why, the Vermonter should board 350 passengers in St. Albans and deposit those same 350 in Washington, DC! This article was not well researched also. Service is already available from White River Jct to New Haven.

The plan is to add a 2nd frequency south of White River Jct to New Haven. Both trains would terminate at New Haven, forcing a transfer for points south of New Haven.

The most important service point was left out - regarding operation of the DMU's - that passengers would have to transfer at New Haven for continuing their journey. Also if the article was really a retrospective of the Vermonter, it should have mentioned the Vermonter's predecessor - the Montrealer. When I first read the title, I was thinking that the Vermonter was gaining ground in ridership as compared to the Montrealer, not as compared to operations from 2000. And of course the bus connection between Montreal and Vermont (while the train operated as a day train in the current form) certainly reduced ridership. People looking to get from Montreal to Boston, typically rode the Vermonter and transferred at Springfield, when Amtrak still operated trains on its "Inland Route" to Boston and the Lake Shore Limited etc.

I would still be interested in knowing how the Vermonter compared to the Montrealer in terms of ridership. Many think the Montrealer did not really serve Vermont, but in fact, many people used the Montrealer as a day trip to/from Vermont and Montreal. An overnight route could still be established where it serves Vermont between prime hours of 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. southbound and 5 a.m. and 10 a.m. northbound. Passengers could connect more conveniently to a bus to/from Montreal at St. Albans - or even Burlington/Essex Junction. Course providing overnight service with sleeper cars is not even on the table!

Well I would have to say on average both the NB and SB arrive in Palmer, MA with 60 - 70 passengers. Take that train numerous times between Brattleboro and
Palmer.