Amtrak and bus service to restart beginning July 19

Advocates had hoped service would resume sooner to aid tourism

The Vermont Department of Transportation announced Thursday that Amtrak and state-supported inter-city bus service will resume in the state beginning July 19. The services had been suspended in March 2020 at the start of the pandemic.

The resumption of services means that Amtrak’s Ethan Allen Express via Albany will also return to Schenectady, Saratoga Springs and Fort Edward, as well as Castleton and Rutland, Vt. Sometime next year, the Ethan Allen Express will continue on to Middlebury, Vergennes and Burlington, Vt.

Two inter-city, state-supported bus routes that serve Albany, the VT Translines service from Colchester to Albany and the Amtrak Vermont Shires Connector service from Manchester through Bennington to Albany, also will resume on July 19.

Vermont’s announcement also includes another Amtrak train, the Vermonter, which originates in Washington and travels up the eastern part of the state before terminating in St. Albans. Long-term plans are to have that train continue to Montreal.

But the Canadian border has also been closed since the start of the pandemic, and is unlikely to reopen anytime soon, given the lack of progress by the Canadian government in protecting its own citizens.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week advised all Americans to avoid travel to Canada.

“(E)ven fully vaccinated trav

elers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID -19 variants and should avoid all travel to Canada,” the CDC said.

Since the pandemic Canadian-bound trains — the Adirondack to Montreal and the Maple Leaf to Toronto — have traveled no farther than Albany.

Passenger rail advocates, while welcoming the resumption of service, said they were disappointed the trains wouldn’t operate earlier in the season.

“The Empire State Passengers Association welcomes the planned restart of Amtrak’s Ethan Allen service to Rutland, Vt., this summer; however, we are disappointed with Vermont’s decision to delay the start until mid-summer, causing New York and Vermont businesses to lose summer vacation dollars and hurting the economic restart in both states,” said Steve Strauss, executive director of the association. “We believe careful compliance with Amtrak and U.S. DOT Covid-safety protocols can ensure that individuals can travel safely in the Northeast on Amtrak.

“Because the Ethan Allen train is a statesupported train, funded by New York state and Vermont, the restart decision resides primarily with the states,” he added. “It is ESPA’S understanding that there are no technical or operational reasons why the train service could not resume earlier in the summer.”

But VDOT spokesman Dan Delabruere said that Amtrak “needs 90 days to get rolling stock and crews in the right place.”

The date, he said, also coordinates with the anticipated rate of vaccination in Vermont that is part of Gov. Phil Scott’s Vermont Forward plan.

Amtrak spokesman Jason Abrams said only that Amtrak “is looking to resume service in July.”