MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - Amtrak says the railroad responsible for maintaining the tracks traveled by a passenger train in Vermont has moved from one of the poorest-performing sites to a top performer within a year.
It's a turnaround for Vermont Rail Systems, which was issued a contract violation notice last year from Amtrak.
Amtrak says the travel time between Rutland and Whitehall, N.Y., part of the Ethan Allen Express route, is 15 minutes faster. Travel north is 25 minutes faster. The number of minutes the service ran behind schedule dropped from 11,068 for December 2010 to 135 for December 2011.
The Burlington Free Press also reports the Ethan Allen Express has gained more than 1,200 rides along the Vermont-supported route between Albany and Rutland from October 2011 to December 2011.
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