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Vermont has less money, but still spends on rail projects
Note that this report came via the Vermont Rail Action Network (railvermont.org).
But, they’re still spending, as the importance of rail is understood, unlike some other political backwaters that we all know and that shall not be named.
Vermont does a very good job, indeed. They have an excellent rail advocacy group, the Vermont Rail Action Network (VRAN) that brings together passenger rail advocates, shippers, freight railroads, community leaders, politicians, and state officials that helps build broad and bipartisian support for rail.
The projects that Vermont focuses, the laying of new heavy welded rail allows for both ffaster passenger trains and heavier freight cars, thus helping both Amtrak and the New England Central and Vermont Rail System. Faster Amtrak trains will attract more tourists and college students, heavier freight cars lowrr costs for shippers and increases profits for the freight railroads.
The lesson that should be learned from the Green Mountain State is that a focus on incremental rail improvement projects that equally benefit both passengers and shippers can win broad support among the business community and elected officials. Also key is having a competent state transport agency that has a good working relationship with the freight railroads that own much of the rail network that hosts Amtrak passenger services.
PHOTOS: VRAN 2014 Annual Meeting in St. Albans, Vermont
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.821820591197758.1073741878.488709374508883&type=3
PHOTOS: VRAN 2013 Annual Meeting, White River Junction
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.617336234979529.1073741841.488709374508883&type=3
It’s good news and bad news.
Try being a taxpayer in Vermont.
I would love to see an independent study of Vermont’s spending on it’s rail system. I really have no idea of what it might reveal, but Is certainly be interested in the results.
The best thing Vermont could do with its limited passenger rail dollars is fund a second frequency of the Vermonter that would originate and terminate at White River Jct and even though it would require some investment in fixed facilities there. I keep wondering year after year why VTrans keeps ignoring the obvious. Some of the funding for this could be taken away from less-useful public programs such as Efficiency Vermont which uses tax dollars in combination with funding from utilities (also our dollars) to convert hundreds of thousands of perfectly good pieces of paper and envelopes into scrap each year by mailing letters to ratepayers chastising them about their electricity consumption and offering irrelevant or childishly obvious “advice” on how to reduce their electricity bill.