Burlington's First Passenger Train Since 1953: Kicking off Amtrak's Ethan Allen Express Expansion

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2 жыл бұрын

Burlington, Vermont has been without an intercity passenger train for 69 years, when the Rutland Railroad pulled out in 1953. That changed on July 29th, 2022 with the Inauguration of the Amtrak Ethan Allen Express from Burlington to New York Penn, with stops in Vergennes, Middlebury, Rutland, and points south.
After quickly looking at the history, planning, and preliminary work, we head to Burlington to see the historic, groundbreaking first run of the Ethan Allen. We also hear what some notable and instrumental men have to say about the new service including Bernie Sanders (Senator, VT), Stephen Gardner (CEO, Amtrak), and Selden Houghton (President, VRS).
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Пікірлер: 108

@JonBrooks105 2 жыл бұрын

Burlington Union is becoming a busy place with Amtrak and the VTR Dinner Trains... which are AMAZING.

@NorthCountryTrains 2 жыл бұрын

It’s great to see!

@beingheardmedia6339 Жыл бұрын

This was hella cool - thanks for recording! I'm from Philly and grew up taking Amtrak to NY and DC. Amtrak is like the air here, just everywhere. So it's hard to imagine - and distressing - to think there are parts of the country where Amtrak doesn't go. So YAY!!! Very glad they are expanding to Burlington. Let 's hope it keeps going (and it sounds like it will). Go Amtrak!!!

@louislamonte334 Жыл бұрын

Fantastic news! Great video! Let's hope we see more passenger trains in New England. Let's hope we'll see extensions of service to Augusta and more locations in Maine!! Let's hope we see a lot more rail freight service in New England too!!

@NorthCountryTrains Жыл бұрын

Augusta and Bangor next!

@torikicklighter1191 Жыл бұрын

So happy for Burlington community & so glad to see expansion to cities across America…now if we can get passenger rail in Ohio, Georgia and a direct southern route from Detroit to Atlanta!!!

@adamm2837 2 жыл бұрын

Too bad this train wasn't in operation at this time last year - I took the Vermonter to Essex Junction to attend a concert up there (actually the concert was in Essex Junction as well but we stayed in Burlington and spent time downtown during the day. The closest station to me is Pittsfield, MA and I kind of live smack dab in between Greenfield, MA and Albany-Rensselaer , NY so both the new Ethan Allen and Vermonter both serve me pretty well for getting up there. Burlington really is a beautiful city and the whole region really is a gem. My local stop, Pittsfield, also got new Amtrak service this summer - the Berkshire Flyer. I saw the Berkshire Flyer leave Pittsfield for NYC last Sunday and the consist was practically identical to the Ethan Allen's in this video. Great video! The speeches at the beginning were very interesting. Thanks for posting.

@NorthCountryTrains 2 жыл бұрын

Thank YOU for watching!

@caltrain_acefoamer907 2 жыл бұрын

It’s cool to find out that this train inaugurated the day I was flying over to New York from San Francisco

@unconventionalideas5683 Ай бұрын

When you realize a random town in Vermont has several times the Amtrak service that your own city triple the size has...

@believer5497 Жыл бұрын

Wow..so much criticism . This is amazing to watch. A new rail service to to someplace that didn't have any. I use to drive to this town from Albany because there wasn't any other "comfortable way" to get there. I appreciate all the efforts..and will be using the services. Thanks Vermont!

@NorthCountryTrains Жыл бұрын

Thank you for your positive words! And honestly, I don’t mind the criticism in the comments because it helps the video reach more people (engagement reasons)

@trainsupporter9088 2 жыл бұрын

I was looking forward to this video! And - it was excellent. Here's hoping for other new services in New England and beyond!

@NorthCountryTrains 2 жыл бұрын

Yes!!

@peters1127 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for the excellent coverage on the Ethan Allen Express

@NorthCountryTrains Жыл бұрын

Couldn’t miss it for the world!

@stephenwagner3584 2 жыл бұрын

Just finished watching this video, in three different stretches. Excellent, Harrison! Thanks! Steve Wagner

@jacoblaw2044 2 жыл бұрын

I was actually on the first train south. Fun trip.

@NorthCountryTrains 2 жыл бұрын

Awesome!

@skiparkcityut 2 жыл бұрын

I took it just to vergennes today. Big launch, fun ride

@NorthCountryTrains 2 жыл бұрын

Awesome! Sold out by the time I tried to get tickets ☹️

@fhowland 9 ай бұрын

SO great to have Amtrak service back. Any idea How has ridership been so far?

@jamallhayden2512 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the video!

@Hahninator 2 жыл бұрын

Great video - super informative and really great footage!

@RailBrothersProductions 2 жыл бұрын

Awesome history lesson

@MetroNorth203Productions 2 жыл бұрын

THERE'S THE NEW REBUILT P32AC-DM 708! NICE CATCH!

@NorthCountryTrains 2 жыл бұрын

They’re all the same to me but the paint scheme is nice to shoot.

@brianholmes1812 Жыл бұрын

Ive been planning a move to Burlington, and now here I have much better rail connections to the rest of thr country. A closer and quicker route to New York, and one where I can perhaps connect upstate to the lakeshore limited, making it so much easier for me to visit my family by Lake Eire. Definitely a great thing

@wayneantoniazzi2706 2 жыл бұрын

Great report Harrison, and it looks like you had a fun day!

@NorthCountryTrains 2 жыл бұрын

A good time was had by all- except we were DONE with Burlington traffic by 1 PM

@wayneantoniazzi2706 2 жыл бұрын

@@NorthCountryTrains Ah, the "Dark Side" of Burlington!

@northpennvalleysteamrailroad 2 жыл бұрын

Awesome video friend

@apl175 Жыл бұрын

will also help students at UVM and Champlain college get home to/from NYC

@NorthCountryTrains Жыл бұрын

Yes!

@OrechTV Жыл бұрын

it supports development and really you should allow developers to make dense housing and business district raise up there ... at any station. Plus city can pay the the maintenance by rent of the land and business part of the station itself . You have money + density = more efficient and cheaper per person transport that even earns money :D

@Brianrockrailfan 2 жыл бұрын

Awesome 🚄🚃🚃

@StormySkyRailProductions 2 жыл бұрын

Very cool!

@gerardgerard5681 Жыл бұрын

Can't wait to see the Adirondack back

@brianfalzon6739 Жыл бұрын

That is awesome news!

@ThatOneExoRailfan 2 жыл бұрын

Amazing

@douglasalan5783 2 жыл бұрын

Nice to know! I could see taking Amtrak to Burlington from NYC - a one way ticket! I’m guessing this train stops at Springfield, Hartford and Nee Haven before NYP. Yes?

@NorthCountryTrains 2 жыл бұрын

The train that runs via the Conn River line and those mentioned cities is the Vermonter out of Essex Junction. But personally, I think taking the Ethan Allen is much better as it’s a very direct route and faster.

@SamSitar Жыл бұрын

@@NorthCountryTrains you could ride the vermonter one way and the ethan allan the other way.

@mirzaahmed6589 Жыл бұрын

No, it goes via Albany, NY. The Vermonter stops in Springfield, Hartford, and New Haven.

@shawiniganterminal7061 Жыл бұрын

My wife and son will take that train from Montreal , hope someday a connection with the Adirondak at Essex !

@NorthCountryTrains Жыл бұрын

Vermonter runs through Essex Jct, or do you mean the Essex, NY ferry?

@chromebomb Жыл бұрын

Omg i've been on Loco 715 "Rensselaer" from NYP to ALB ! cool!

@ElPasoTexasRailfan639 2 жыл бұрын

Sorry bro my battery went dead while I was watching your premiere

@lars7935 Жыл бұрын

It's a bit sad to see the state of railways in the US but at least something is happening.

@happyvalleyhobbies6070 Жыл бұрын

Nice video. Plus, the extra lights on the crossing gates have been answered on the last video you took of the place. White plus flashing white. I wonder what aspect those suppose to mean. I'm used to white meaning to take the siding, but it looks single track at that point.

@nomanejane5766 Жыл бұрын

Wait, so the Vertmontner hasn't gone to Burlington since 1953?! That's like insane

@NorthCountryTrains Жыл бұрын

The Vermonter has run to Essex Junction since the 90s. The Rutland ceased passenger service in Burlington in 53.

@devilscreed1332 Жыл бұрын

69 years? They knew what they were doing.😂

@chromebomb Жыл бұрын

Congratulations Vermont!

@rd3ster Жыл бұрын

Yes, good to see that, at long last, Americans or at least some Americans can get out of their cars and take the train. Bravo. The on screen narrator of this clip is adorable. Sweet face and cherry cheeks. Sweet speaking voice. Delightful. Well done, sweet lad.

@gerardgerard5681 Жыл бұрын

Harrison there is a sunken train in Lake Champlain near Ft Ticonderoga, there was a floating bridge that failed. Take the boat tour to see it.

@interstellarphred Жыл бұрын

Want to go to VT, ASAP, spend money, love ya Bernie.

@SamSitar Жыл бұрын

good that they have a train route now. their next step should be an amtrak bus both ways between Burlington and Essex Junction OR make the those two interchangeable.

@appalachianenthusiast9499 Жыл бұрын

Honestly it would make sense for the Ethan Allen to leave the back three cars in Burlington and have the front two continue north. Amtrak could upgrade Essex Junction to allow for baggage service and layovers, letting Vermonter riders have a 90 minute layover in Essex Junction while they wait for the Ethan Allen. The Ethan Allen would continue through St. Albans and toward Montreal.

@JermaniBurroughs 7 ай бұрын

& there’s also a track that connect it too it so it should be easy.

@vzwodb17 Жыл бұрын

Choo choo 😊

@thewhippet7346 Жыл бұрын

"Burlington's First Passenger Train Since 1953". Except for the Champlain Valley Dinner Train; The Champlain Valley Flyer tourist train; the Champlain Flyer commuter trains; the Sugarbush Vermont Express; the Ethan Allen Connection (an intercity train in 1999); steam excursion service back in the 1960s; annual Christmas, Halloween, Memorial Day and Independence Day trains; and AAPRCO conventions.

@NorthCountryTrains Жыл бұрын

Title length limits did not allow me to elaborate- this is the first intercity, regular train since that date.

@felixtv272 Жыл бұрын

Weird that they didn't extend it just a bit more to Essex Junction, would be a great interchange station, but I guess America never heard of the network effect.

@NorthCountryTrains Жыл бұрын

I agree, American certainly struggles to have a network. We have state-sponsored corridors and hub-and-spoke trains, but they just don’t get the importance of connecting the dots 🤷‍♂️

@unconventionalideas5683 Ай бұрын

Better to have a train that perhaps connects sub-optimally than no train. Perhaps it will happen as a separate project, as is the connection of Spain's High Speed Rail lines to one another in central Madrid (for awhile they all stopped at different points a few miles out because that was better than not having High Speed Rail in Spain, because that would have delayed the project massively and doubled the initial cost).

@hirampriggott1689 Жыл бұрын

Sure would be nice if it continued to Montreal.

@NorthCountryTrains Жыл бұрын

There are proposals!

@birbeyboop 2 жыл бұрын

Seeing Bernie actually made me squeal a bit, love him. Not too many senators would bother speaking at a "silly little train party" like this.

@NorthCountryTrains 2 жыл бұрын

I can’t say much about what any of the politicians said but he was probably the funniest

@fhowland 9 ай бұрын

He’s a nutty old communist but good for him for getting train service back to his state and actually accomplishing something unlike our senators here in Mass

@allanegleston4931 Жыл бұрын

was the engine setting off track torpedoes?

@snoopyloopy Жыл бұрын

What was up with the crossing gates not coming down in time?

@NorthCountryTrains Жыл бұрын

A new system where the crew calls in to lower them

@ViLLagE-BiCycle269 Жыл бұрын

I was down there on my bike stoned AF

@perrybelcourt5441 Жыл бұрын

Text him at his Burlington office because most of the senators don't want to hear from anyone so text home office because I have alot of Hispanic in Mexico and I told them he would listen but text his Burlington office

@mrsvoyage 2 жыл бұрын

Come to montreal

@NorthCountryTrains 2 жыл бұрын

My video on why Amtrak killed the Adirondack should be out next week!

@darthmaul216 Жыл бұрын

If only it was electrified

@fluffnose3386 Жыл бұрын

I’m sure it was a bumpy ride with all the coins I’m sure people put on the track 🤣

@NorthCountryTrains Жыл бұрын

LOL

@perrybelcourt5441 Жыл бұрын

Why do you text senator Bernie Sanders I'm a Canadian historian and Vermont is one of the cleanest safest best states in America Vermont is like a Scandinavia style state in America and North Vermont is one of the best places in Vermont

@locomotiveproductions Жыл бұрын

If it was high speed it wouldn't be a 7 hour ride to NYC from Burlington . Plane seems like the best bet unfortunately

@nomanejane5766 Жыл бұрын

7hrs?!

@locomotiveproductions Жыл бұрын

@@nomanejane5766 yep

@akgupta94 Жыл бұрын

Unlike a plane, a train isn't about connecting two points far from each other. It's about connecting smaller points in-between, and coincidentally connecting 2 points across a longer distance

@locomotiveproductions Жыл бұрын

@@akgupta94 Yea I know that lol. But 7 hours for that distance? TGV in France can go from Paris to Montpelier which is further in just 4.5 hours. I was just saying that HSR would be way quicker than 7.5 hours so taking the plane doesn't seem like a bad option (assuming you're riding the whole line), in the circumstance that you have to get off in between then I can't really say anything about it. hopefully one day a bunch of HSR lines will be built

@lars7935 Жыл бұрын

@@akgupta94 Trains can do both. If you have the infrastructure you can have trains serving all stops, limited stop services and direct express services. It's nit that hard to figure out but you do need the infrastructure.

@winstonsmith2902 Жыл бұрын

I am sure Bernie takes the train down to DC

@perrybelcourt5441 9 ай бұрын

No because he going to Britain and France and Germany and Arizona and a part of Florida and a part of Texas where the democratic can't win but his pick did and the national Dnc doesn't like senator Bernie Sanders that why Obama Clinton Pelosi Clyburn told everyone to drop out and back Biden in the primary and Joe Rogan endorsed senator Bernie Sanders but independents not allowed to vote in some democratic states and uncle Joe is going to destroyed America I'm watching this in 2023 and uncle Joe is a war monger uncle Joe like genocide in Gaza hailed Hitler from corrupt corporate media outlets in America blocked the truth to the world like Hitler did in nazi Germany

@ChamplainDivision Жыл бұрын

New Amtrak or not, Burlington sucks without the Ferry. Reinstate The Adirondack!!!

@NorthCountryTrains Жыл бұрын

Yes! I would take the ferry to railfan on my bike! The Charlotte ferry sucks as it is!

@perrybelcourt5441 Жыл бұрын

I'm a Canadian historian and senator Bernie Sanders is more popular and respected all over the world thank you Vermont

@kevinhoward9593 Жыл бұрын

I dont understand when they extend a train. so they extended it to Burlington, is it really worth the Millions it cost just to get a about 50-100 extra passengers? Funny thing is that even those 100 people the train will never make any money and have to front the bill to taxpayers. Come to think of it, i dont even know why Amtrak charges us money when 90% of the trains revenue is from State Funds. Without help the train would be a money pit.

@MarioYoshi4723 Жыл бұрын

You’d be surprised how many taxpayers would rather more funding go to Amtrak than “fixing” our roads. “oNE mOre lAnE wiLL eASe tHe cOnGesTioN”

@dodge-ut6ti Жыл бұрын

@@MarioYoshi4723 Where is the lane going to be? Who's land is going to be taken?

@akgupta94 Жыл бұрын

So you're against roads and airports too?