Rutland station is a train station in Rutland, Vermont served by Amtrak, the national railroad passenger system. It is served by the single daily round trip of the Amtrak Ethan Allen Express. The station has a single low-level side platform, with a short high-level section for accessible level boarding.

Rutland, VT
Rutland station in March 2013
General information
Location25 Evelyn Street
Rutland, Vermont
United States
Coordinates43°36′21″N 72°58′54″W / 43.6058°N 72.9817°W / 43.6058; -72.9817
Owned byCity of Rutland
Line(s)Vermont Railway
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks2
Construction
ParkingYes
AccessibleYes
Other information
StatusUnstaffed station with waiting room
Station codeAmtrak: RUD
History
OpenedDecember 2, 1996 (1996-12-02)
Rebuilt1999
Passengers
FY 202310,624[1] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Middlebury
toward Burlington
Ethan Allen Express Reverses direction
Castleton
toward New York
Former services
Preceding station Rutland Railroad Following station
Center Rutland Main Line Alfrecha
North Clarendon
Proctor
toward Montreal
Green Mountain Flyer / Mount Royal Ludlow
toward Boston
Wallingford
toward New York
Preceding station Delaware and Hudson Railway Following station
Center Rutland Eagle BridgeRutland Terminus
Center Rutland
toward Whitehall
WhitehallRutland
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Terminus Ethan Allen Express Fair Haven
toward New York
Location
Map

History

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The original Rutland depot, c. 1907

Rutland's first railway station was built near Merchants' Row in 1853–54 by the Rutland Railroad. In 1905-06 wings were added to the north and south of the depot. Passenger service west of Whitehall and Eagle Bridge ended on June 24, 1934.[2][3] The building served the city of Rutland until New York City to Montreal passenger service ended in 1953 (the Rutland RR's Green Mountain Flyer and Mount Royal), and two years later it was demolished.[4][5][6]

Amtrak service to Rutland commenced on December 2, 1996, with service provided to a temporary station platform.[7] The station, which is located near the former Rutland Railroad yard on the western edge of downtown, opened in 1999. Designed by local firm NBF Architects, the station has walls of red brick that rise from a base of textured gray concrete block. To celebrate Rutland native Jim Jeffords, who represented Vermont in Congress, city leaders renamed the station the “James M. Jeffords Rail Passenger Welcome Center.”[6]

From March 2020 to July 19, 2021, all Amtrak service in Vermont was suspended in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Ethan Allen Express truncated to Albany–Rensselaer station.[8][9][10] The Ethan Allen Express was extended from Rutland to Burlington on July 29, 2022.[11]

References

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  1. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023: State of Vermont" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  2. ^ "D. & H. To Suspend Passenger Trains To And From City". Rutland Daily Herald. May 26, 1934. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Plan New Bus Lines". The Enterprise and Vermonter. June 15, 1934. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "An Eastern Regional Railroad – 1930's – 1940's, Rutland Railroad" http://www.r2parks.net/RUT.html
  5. ^ Lindsell, Robert M. (2000). The Rail Lines of Northern New England. Branch Line Press. pp. 35–46, 175. ISBN 0-942147-06-5.
  6. ^ a b "Rutland, VT Station". Great American Stations. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
  7. ^ Lloyd, Barbara (December 19, 1996). "Train Trip to Vermont Offers Some of the Fun". The New York Times.
  8. ^ "Service Adjustments Due to Coronavirus" (Press release). Amtrak. March 24, 2020. Archived from the original on March 25, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  9. ^ "Vermont marking return of Amtrak service after COVID". AP NEWS. July 19, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  10. ^ "Amtrak and Vermont Agency of Transportation Celebrate Restoration of Vermont Trains With One Dollar Tickets, Half Off Summer Travel and Special Events". Amtrak Media Center. July 13, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  11. ^ Delabruere, Dan (June 16, 2022). "Agency of Transportation Announces Start Date for Long-Awaited Amtrak Service in Burlington, Vergennes, and Middlebury" (PDF). Vermont Agency of Transportation.
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