Amtrak has partnered with the Vermont Agency of Transportation, New York State Department of Transportation and the Vermont Railway to make operational improvements to its Ethan Allen Express service, which includes reducing trip times, providing more reliable service and introducing new schedules. Customers will also now have more and improved train connection options to and from New York City.
“Amtrak’s improvements to the Ethan Allen Express will bring quicker, more reliable service to Vermonters looking to ride America’s rails to reach their destinations. This improvement to the Ethan Allen Express comes on the heels of Amtrak’s announcement that it broke ground on a new train station in Brattleboro earlier this year in an effort to expand rail service in Vermont,” said U.S. Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT). “I’m pleased that Amtrak continues to rise to the occasion to meet the needs of our communities and help Vermonters reach their destinations easier and faster.”
Ethan Allen Express southbound Train 290 will now depart Burlington, Va., 20 minutes earlier at 9:50 a.m., arriving in Rutland, Vt., 35 minutes earlier, 30 minutes earlier in Albany, N.Y., and will reach Moynihan Train Hall in New York City at 5:17 p.m., which is 30 minutes earlier than the previous schedule. In addition, northbound Ethan Allen Express Train 291 will arrive at Burlington five minutes earlier at 9:50 p.m.
In Fiscal Year (FY) 2023, 86,638 Amtrak customers traveled on the Ethan Allen Express, a significant increase from 50,515 customers in FY 19. Amtrak says driving the growth stems from the July 2022 expansion of Ethan Allen Express service from Rutland to Middlebury, Vergennes and Burlington. Amtrak also recently announced it added more service throughout the Northeast Corridor to meet growing customer demand. The new schedules align with Amtrak’s goal of doubling annual ridership to 66 million by FY 2040.
“Vermont and New York represent two of the most popular states for train travel demand throughout the country and we appreciate the support of all of our partners, as residents and visitors from these two states will benefit from our collaboration,” said Amtrak Vice President, State Supported Services Ray Lang. “The new, faster trip times, combined with the earlier southbound departure out of Vermont’s largest city, makes train travel even more appealing to our customers and allows us to build upon our recent, successful expansion to Burlington.”
