Vermont wants to restore train service to Montreal

The new Democrat Vermont's Governor Peter Shumlin want to restore the Amtrak's train service from St. Albans VT until to Montreal QC with an high speed rail service and he met the Quebec's Prime Minister Jean Charest to discuss together about this project.

This HSR project might be a good thing to linking Montreal to New York City by high speed train to the Green Mountain state instead of passing through Plattsburgh NY and after the Adirondack State Park because it is protect by the New York State for environment and environmentalists and people living in the Adirondack State Park would make a disease if they modified the landscape to put an high speed rail system between Montreal to New York City passing through the Adirondack Mountains in the other side of the Lake Champlain already the Interstate 87 and several routes like the US 9 and State route 9N and other roads passes inside the park.

So it will not be a bad idea if the Montreal-New York City high speed train passing through Vermont state to reach New York or Montreal bypassing the Adirondack's Park from the other side of the Lake Champlain with stops at St. Albans train station with a US/Canada customs inspection station inside the Amtrak station.

Then, I'll see a new railroad track that connect the New England Central Railroad track to Vermont Railway track in downtown Burlington with a brand new station for the Burlington's Int'l Airport before the downtown Burlington station from Colchester to Burlington with a new overpass which passing over the Interstate 89 or that will be the Interstate 89 which passing over the new railroad track which will serve to the Montreal-New York high speed train.

After Burlington, the last Vermont's rail stop will be in Rutland before stopping to Saratoga Springs,NY to Albany and finally at the New York's Penn station. From Montreal the future train could leave Montreal's Central Station to Victoria Bridge until St-Lambert, a surburban town of Montreal to reaching the CN's Rouses Point subdivision and going to St-Jean-sur-Richelieu until Cantic in the town of Lacolle close to the US Border then to roll on NECR's Swanton subdivision to St. Albans VT crossing the Richelieu River bridge between Lacolle and Noyan QC and then the Lake Champlain Bridge between Alburg and West Swanton VT.

In closing, it would be a good idea to name the future train «The Montrealer Express» for Amtrak in reference that which was abolished in 1995. Or to name it «The Vermonter» adding «Express» «Vermonter Express» like the current train which run actually between Washington DC to St. Albans.

Meanwhile, here is the link at to this address.

http://www.vpr.net/news_detail/90069/#

Sylvain727 wrote:The new Democrat Vermont's Governor Peter Shumlin want to restore the Amtrak's train service from St. Albans VT until to Montreal QC
with an high speed rail service and he met the Quebec's Prime Minister Jean Charest to discuss together about this project.

It seems unlikely that the Quebec Premier has the financial means to fund such a proposal, and it should be clear that the current Canadian government isn't about to fund it either. Vermont is in much the same situation. Perhaps current passenger rail services are subsidized by the state of Vermont, which even came close to funding a DMU order a few years ago, but it's unlikely that Vermont could fund major right of way improvements on its own.

Sylvain727 wrote:This HSR project might be a good thing to linking Montreal to New York City by high speed train to the Green Mountain state
instead of passing through Plattsburgh NY and after the Adirondack State Park because it is protect by the New York State for
environment and environmentalists and people living in the Adirondack State Park would make a disease if they modified the landscape to
put an high speed rail system between Montreal to New York City passing through the Adirondack Mountains in the other side
of the Lake Champlain already the Interstate 87 and several routes like the US 9 and State route 9N and other roads passes
inside the park.

Not true at all. The current D&H right of way could potentially be improved and there's no need to build another.

Sylvain727 wrote:So it will not be a bad idea if the Montreal-New York City high speed train passing through Vermont state
to reach New York or Montreal bypassing the Adirondack's Park from the other side of the Lake Champlain
with stops at St. Albans train station with a US/Canada customs inspection station inside the Amtrak station.

New York State already funds the Adirondack, so it seems unlike that the train would be rerouted through Vermont.

Sylvain727 wrote:The new Democrat Vermont's Governor Peter Shumlin wants to restore the Amtrak's train service from St. Albans VT until to Montreal QC
with an high speed rail service and he met the Quebec's Prime Minister Jean Charest to discuss together about this project.

This HSR project might be a good thing to linking Montreal to New York City by high speed train to the Green Mountain state
instead of passing through Plattsburgh NY and after the Adirondack State Park because it is protect by the New York State for
environment and environmentalists and people living in the Adirondack State Park would make a disease if they modified the landscape to
put an high speed rail system between Montreal to New York City passing through the Adirondack Mountains in the other side
of the Lake Champlain already the Interstate 87 and several routes like the US 9 and State route 9N and other roads passes
inside the park.

So it will not be a bad idea if the Montreal-New York City high speed train passing through Vermont state
to reach New York or Montreal bypassing the Adirondack's Park from the other side of the Lake Champlain
with stops at St. Albans train station with a US/Canada customs inspection station inside the Amtrak station.

Then, I'll see a new railroad track that connect the New England Central Railroad track to Vermont Railway track in
downtown Burlington with a brand new station for the Burlington's Int'l Airport before the downtown Burlington station
from Colchester to Burlington with a new overpass which passing over the Interstate 89 or that will be the Interstate 89
which passing over the new railroad track which will serve to the Montreal-New York high speed train.

After Burlington, the last Vermont's rail stop will be in Rutland before stopping to Saratoga Springs,NY to Albany and
finally at the New York's Penn station. From Montreal the future train could leave Montreal's Central Station to Victoria Bridge
until St-Lambert, a surburban town of Montreal to reaching the CN's Rouses Point subdivision and going to St-Jean-sur-Richelieu
until Cantic in the town of Lacolle close to the US Border then to roll on NECR's Swanton subdivision to St. Albans VT crossing
the Richelieu River bridge between Lacolle and Noyan QC and then the Lake Champlain Bridge between Alburg and West Swanton VT.

In closing, it would be a good idea to name the future train «The Montrealer Express» for Amtrak in reference that which was abolished
in 1995. Or to name it «The Vermonter» adding «Express» «Vermonter Express» like the current train which run actually between Washington DC to St. Albans.

Meanwhile, here is the link at to this address.

http://www.vpr.net/news_detail/90069/#

There are two separate questions here. One is about restoring the connection to Montreal north of St Albans. Nearly 11 years ago I took the connecting bus from Montreal Gare Centrale. But I have heard this no longer runs so I am surprised by this statement:

Dillon) The train now stops south of the international border for customs and security checks. Passengers board a bus for the final leg of the journey to Quebec. Similar issues exist for passengers heading to the U.S. from Montreal.

(I have now checked the timetable of the Vermonter. No bus connection to Montreal is listed, so I assume the journey is not at present possible. The very minimum the two leaders need to do is to restore that bus.)

I found this route a good idea as I was going to Hartford to meet my now wife. Clearly, without a connecting bus my journey would not have been possible.

The other is the question of a High Speed rail line.

I suspect there is not the demand for travel that would make such a project affordable. But the problems of re-extending the Vermonter to Montreal ought to be solvable, especially if the customs checks would be at the same point as those of the Adirondack.

goodnightjohnwayne wrote:

Sylvain727 wrote:The new Democrat Vermont's Governor Peter Shumlin want to restore the Amtrak's train service from St. Albans VT until to Montreal QC
with an high speed rail service and he met the Quebec's Prime Minister Jean Charest to discuss together about this project.

It seems unlikely that the Quebec Premier has the financial means to fund such a proposal, and it should be clear that the current Canadian government isn't about to fund it either. Vermont is in much the same situation. Perhaps current passenger rail services are subsidized by the state of Vermont, which even came close to funding a DMU order a few years ago, but it's unlikely that Vermont could fund major right of way improvements on its own.

Sylvain727 wrote:This HSR project might be a good thing to linking Montreal to New York City by high speed train to the Green Mountain state
instead of passing through Plattsburgh NY and after the Adirondack State Park because it is protect by the New York State for
environment and environmentalists and people living in the Adirondack State Park would make a disease if they modified the landscape to
put an high speed rail system between Montreal to New York City passing through the Adirondack Mountains in the other side
of the Lake Champlain already the Interstate 87 and several routes like the US 9 and State route 9N and other roads passes
inside the park.

Not true at all. The current D&H right of way could potentially be improved and there's no need to build another.

Sylvain727 wrote:So it will not be a bad idea if the Montreal-New York City high speed train passing through Vermont state
to reach New York or Montreal bypassing the Adirondack's Park from the other side of the Lake Champlain
with stops at St. Albans train station with a US/Canada customs inspection station inside the Amtrak station.

New York State already funds the Adirondack, so it seems unlike that the train would be rerouted through Vermont.

Ok. The D&H/CP Canadian Subdivision must be reconfigured in the Adirondack State Park in Upstate New York between Plattsburgh and Whitehall NY because there is a lot of tight curves along Lake Champlain which the railroad track not even designed to operate
high speed trains from Montreal to New York City. And they must that the curves be straightened in some places in the Adirondack Park.

So that should be a good idea if they build an high speed train like a the Bombardier's Jet Train prototype or the X2000 sweden high speed train or other choice.

And if this project be achieved, I gonna see the name this future train, «Adirondack Express» in reference in the current Amtrak's Adirondack train which he runs from Montreal to New York City.

So I will see few rail stops will be retain in Upstate New York like Rouses Point,Plattsburgh and a new rail stop for the Plattsburgh Int'l Airport and then Westport for Lake Placid and that will be the last stop for the Lake Champlain/Adirondack Region and after the future train continue until Saratoga Springs and Schenectady and Albany/Rensselaer trains stations and going to Poughkeepsie and Yonkers and finally reach New York's Penn Station from Montreal's Central Station or Lucien L'Allier/Windsor Station.

The D&H/CP Canadian Subdivision must be reconfigured in the Adirondack State Park

The I-87 corridor is becoming congested. The NYSDOT did a comprehensive study. The former D&H line is too curvy to be much use except for freight and tourism - the ride has spectacular scenery. They concluded that moderate upgrades to the existing line would help freight traffic greatly. For passenger rail a whole new ROW would be cheapest. They were aiming for 4 hour service between New York City and Montreal.

Adirondacker wrote:The I-87 corridor is becoming congested. The NYSDOT did a comprehensive study. The former D&H line is too curvy to be much use except for freight and tourism - the ride has spectacular scenery. They concluded that moderate upgrades to the existing line would help freight traffic greatly. For passenger rail a whole new ROW would be cheapest. They were aiming for 4 hour service between New York City and Montreal.

New York City to Montreal is 378.5 miles per Yahoo maps on I-87. Not sure exactly what the rail miles are. Four hours elapse time means averaging 94.6 mph by train.
I'm not sure what the maximum speed would need to be to achieve the four hours elapse time, 110 mph or more most likely?

If a new passenger rail corridor is needed, why not shoot for three hours or less elapse time? I think I know the answer, four hours can be achieved with diesel locomotives without catenary wires and poles.....

electricron wrote:

Adirondacker wrote:The I-87 corridor is becoming congested. The NYSDOT did a comprehensive study. The former D&H line is too curvy to be much use except for freight and tourism - the ride has spectacular scenery. They concluded that moderate upgrades to the existing line would help freight traffic greatly. For passenger rail a whole new ROW would be cheapest. They were aiming for 4 hour service between New York City and Montreal.

New York City to Montreal is 378.5 miles per Yahoo maps on I-87. Not sure exactly what the rail miles are. Four hours elapse time means averaging 94.6 mph by train.
I'm not sure what the maximum speed would need to be to achieve the four hours elapse time, 110 mph or more most likely?

If a new passenger rail corridor is needed, why not shoot for three hours or less elapse time? I think I know the answer, four hours can be achieved with diesel locomotives without catenary wires and poles.....

So they could be rebuild the former D&H railroad close to the Plattsburgh International Airport, the former Plattsburgh Air Force Base to
Peru and Lake Placid until to Glens Falls through Warrensburg and Lake George to connect the Canadian Pacific Railway at Fort Edward NY.

So the future Montreal-New York high speed train should take the new railroad track rebuild between Plattsburgh and Glens Falls and the new train will either the Talgo XXI which this train was travelled at 160 MPH (256 km/h) on a experimental high speed line on Olmedo-Medina del campo on 9 july 2002 and this train was made a world speed record for a high speed train.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talgo#Talgo_XXI

Or the Bombardier's Transportation Diesel Electric Multiple Unit Voyager train.
The Bombardier's Voyager train can reach the speed of 125 MPH (200 km/h) and
I guess these both trains either one or the other might do the trick for the Montreal-New York
high speed rail system through New York state as a whole and not going to Vermont State to reaching
New York City from Montreal.

Sylvain727 wrote: So the future Montreal-New York high speed train should take the new railroad track rebuild between Plattsburgh and Glens Falls and the new train will either the Talgo XXI which this train was travelled at 160 MPH (256 km/h) on a experimental high speed line on Olmedo-Medina del campo on 9 july 2002 and this train was made a world speed record for a high speed train.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talgo#Talgo_XXI

Or the Bombardier's Transportation Diesel Electric Multiple Unit Voyager train.
The Bombardier's Voyager train can reach the speed of 125 MPH (200 km/h) and
I guess these both trains either one or the other might do the trick for the Montreal-New York high speed rail system through New York state as a whole and not going to Vermont State to reaching New York City from Montreal.

Forget the Talgo trains for New York because all the platforms at Penn Station are high level, and the Talgo trains floors are low level. One would have to step down into the train, or step up out of the train in an era of level boarding for wheelchair passengers. Not cool! Whatever HSR train chosen for New York to anywhere will have to have high floors.

electricron wrote:

Sylvain727 wrote: So the future Montreal-New York high speed train should take the new railroad track rebuild between Plattsburgh and Glens Falls and the new train will either the Talgo XXI which this train was travelled at 160 MPH (256 km/h) on a experimental high speed line on Olmedo-Medina del campo on 9 july 2002 and this train was made a world speed record for a high speed train.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talgo#Talgo_XXI

Or the Bombardier's Transportation Diesel Electric Multiple Unit Voyager train.
The Bombardier's Voyager train can reach the speed of 125 MPH (200 km/h) and
I guess these both trains either one or the other might do the trick for the Montreal-New York high speed rail system through New York state as a whole and not going to Vermont State to reaching New York City from Montreal.

Forget the Talgo trains for New York because all the platforms at Penn Station are high level, and the Talgo trains floors are low level. One would have to step down into the train, or step up out of the train in an era of level boarding for wheelchair passengers. Not cool! Whatever HSR train chosen for New York to anywhere will have to have high floors.

Ok, so the Bombardier's Transportation Diesel Electric Multiple Unit Voyager train could be a very good
choice instead the Talgo XXI on the Montreal-New York high speed rail corridor. Whatever this future train
leaves the Montreal's Central Station or Lucien L'Allier/Windsor Station a few blocks away from the CNR Central Station in downtown
Montreal heading south until to New York's Penn Station or the opposite when the future HST train leaves New York City for Montreal.

I haven't reread it, the preliminary study NYSDOT commissioned. It's at

https://www.nysdot.gov/portal/page/port ... -18-04.pdf

If I remember correctly... Diesel operation to start. 4 billion for the new ROW with another billion to electrify it. Minor upgrades south of Albany. Upgrades in Quebec that are relatively cheap. Don't remember if they estimated the time savings with a fully electrified route. Electrified it would be much faster north of Albany and south of Albany some time would be saved. I'd guesstimate 3 hours NYC-Montreal.

george matthews wrote: I have now checked the timetable of the Vermonter. No bus connection to Montreal is listed, so I assume the journey is not at present possible. The very minimum the two leaders need to do is to restore that bus.

No, it's not. It hasn't been for many years now, it was canceled due to low ridership resulting from something like a 5 am departure from Montreal and a midnight-ish arrival due to customs. IIRC, the number of people taking it was in the single digits near the end. Once the track upgrades on the Vermonter are completed, and iff departure/arrival times in St. Albans are modified, maybe you can get a halfway decent chedule, but until then it's a waste of money.