It’s official: Amtrak to begin Burlington runs on July 29

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - The start date is set for the long-awaited return of passenger rail service to Burlington for the first time in nearly 70 years.

After 15 years of work on the Amtrak project, trains will start rolling from Burlington to New York City at the end of July. The Ethan Allen Express will start service in Burlington on July 29 at 10:10 a.m.

It will take about 7.5 hours to go from Burlington to Manhattan, and you will arrive by 5:45 p.m.

A one-way ticket costs $75.

This is a regional train, meaning it doesn’t stop at all the small stations along the way, but rather it is designed to hit the hubs of Vergennes, Middlebury, Rutland and Castleton before jogging over to New York and hitting several stops there, such as Albany.

The Vermont Agency of Transportation says they see this as a way people can sit back and enjoy the ride while maybe getting some work done and not needing to worry about driving through New York traffic.

“There are a lot of folks that don’t like to drive cars anymore and want these alternate modes, and when they go to a city like New York City, they don’t want to have to deal with parking a car for an extended amount of time, so this is going to help with that option,” said Dan Delabruere, the rail and aviation director for VTrans.

The Agency of Transportation says if you want to buy the one-way tickets for $75, you need to buy them early. However, their mechanism to purchase tickets isn’t quite up yet, but once it is, they suggest buying a few weeks before your trip to secure the cheapest price.

Customers in Burlington will be greeted with views of the lake, along with brand new concrete and lines, and plenty of signage.

“Very soon, we will be able to climb aboard a train in downtown Burlington and arrive in New York City in time for dinner,” Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger said in a statement. “This long-desired service will give a boost to our economic recovery at a critical time, and give travelers a new, lower-carbon connection to New York and the rest of the Amtrak system.”

The last regularly scheduled passenger rail service to Vermont’s largest city ended in 1953.

The Ethan Allen Express has run between Rutland and New York City since the mid-1990s. Amtrak’s Vermont runs from New York, through Connecticut and Massachusetts following the Connecticut River before it crosses Vermont to reach St. Albans.

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