CONNECTING RUTLAND COUNTY BY TRAIN
Planes, trains, and automobiles. We have all three forms of transportation available here in Rutland County! In fact, one of those modes, the Ethan Allen Express Amtrak Train, is expanding its route THIS WEEK.
The Ethan Allen Express Amtrak Train
First, let’s talk about where the Ethan Allen Express Amtrak Train travels. This train leaves daily from its newest stop in Burlington, Vermont, mak
ing its way through Rutland County, and finally stopping in New York City. As Amtrak likes to promote, the train takes its riders “through the scenic Hudson River Valley [New York] with easy Thruway bus connections to Killington [Rutland County].”
This train makes fifteen stops and it takes about seven and a half hours to ride the entire way. Two of those stops are here in Rutland County, in Rutland and Castleton.
James M. Jeffords Station (Rutland)
The James M Jeffords Station, which opened in 1999, is in the heart of Rutland’s Historic Downtown. Once you step off the train you are within walking distance of shopping and local restaurants.
Amtrak has offered service between Rutland and New York City since 1996, making Rutland the most Northern point of access on the Ethan Allen Express, until this week when Amtrak began offering rides sixty-three miles north to Burlington, Vermont.
In 2007, the station was renamed the “James M. Jeffords Rail Passenger Welcome Center,” to celebrate U.S. Senator Jim Jeffords’ thirty-two years of public service.
The City of Rutland is currently planning to revitalize the station and surrounding area, in the hope to create an even more welcoming atmosphere for all travelers.
Castleton Amtrak StationFourteen miles to the West is the Castleton Amtrak Station. The depot was built in 1850, making it one of the oldest station buildings in the national Amtrak network!
The station’s waiting room is open for only a few hours a day, but if you are lucky enough to be there when it is
unlocked, wander inside. It smells like maple and wood, and has an antique look, not like many train depots.
The station is also within walking distance of Castleton’s downtown and University. Across the street is the Delaware & Hudson (D&H) Rail Trail, almost 20 miles of former railroad in Western Rutland and Bennington Counties. This is a popular attraction for bicyclists, runners, and horseback riders in the summer, and skiers, snowshoers, and snowmobilers in the winter.
We are happy for the opportunity to take the train to New York City for the weekend or hop off the train at one of the other stations in New York like Saratoga Springs and Albany-Rensselaer.
While Rutland was proud to be the most Northern point for the Ethan Allen Express, we are excited for the opportunity to adventure on a train to Burlington! If you visit or move to Vermont, we hope you take the time to ride the Amtrak North and feast your eyes on the sights of Northern Rutland County, something we have not seen before by train!
