Middlebury station

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Middlebury, VT
Middlebury station 4 (cropped).jpg
The completed station platform in January 2022
LocationMiddlebury, Vermont
United States
Coordinates44°01′04″N 73°10′11″W / 44.0177°N 73.1698°W / 44.0177; -73.1698Coordinates: 44°01′04″N 73°10′11″W / 44.0177°N 73.1698°W / 44.0177; -73.1698
Platforms1 side platform
Construction
Parking17 spaces[1]
Disabled accessYes
Planned services
Preceding station BSicon LOGO Amtrak2.svg Amtrak Following station
Ferrisburgh–Vergennes
toward Burlington
 Ethan Allen Express Rutland
toward New York

Middlebury station is a planned Amtrak train station in Middlebury, Vermont. The station is expected to open by summer 2022 as part of an extension of the Ethan Allen Express from Rutland to Burlington.

History[]

The historic station building sits across the track from the platform

Middlebury's historic train station closed in 1953 when the Rutland Railroad discontinued passenger service to the town. The building is now private property and houses retail space.

Since 2014, Vermont Translines has run intercity motorcoach service from Albany to Burlington up the U.S. Route 7 corridor through Middlebury. The company later joined the Amtrak Thruway network, adding train connections at Albany–Rensselaer station. The Middlebury bus stop is located close to Davis Family Library at Middlebury College.[2]

Planning and construction[]

In plans to build a new station, the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) assumed responsibility for constructing a 300-foot-long-by-12-foot-wide platform, 200-foot canopy, wheelchair lift, and lighting, while the town covered land acquisition, parking, access roads, landscaping, and amenities.[3][4][1] A station house has not been planned.[5]

In April 2018, the Town of Middlebury hired the engineering firm VHB to study potential sites for a new train platform.[6] By September 2018, VHB had presented four sites for public consideration.[1] Middlebury eventually selected the cheapest and most popular option: a site across the tracks from the historic train station that required no additional property acquistion.

In February 2021, VTrans announced that Kubricky Construction Corporation of Waterbury had been hired to build the platform and canopy, and that work would begin in the summer once the downtown bridge project was complete.[7] Construction was well underway by July 2021, and was expected to be finished by August 31st. The on-site inspector said the structure was built to last for 100 years. Workers discovered and removed old water and sewer pipes during the excavation.[8]

Once the platform was in place, the town hired Munson Earth Moving to construct parking facilities.[7] The plan called for 17 parking spaces,[1] though Middlebury's planning director said overflow parking might be needed if train ridership is high. The town also invested in new sidewalks, crosswalks, and curbing to better connect the station to Riverfront Park, Middlebury College, and downtown businesses.[8]

By November 2021, the station as a whole was said to be nearing completion.[9] The total cost was estimated at $665,000, with VTrans paying $250,000 and Middlebury paying the rest.[10]

Downtown rail tunnel[]

In conjunction with restoring passenger train service to Middlebury, the Main Street and Merchant's Row bridges over the rail line needed to be addressed. VTrans and Middlebury had replaced the 100-year-old bridges with temporary spans in 2017 following an emergency closure. In summer 2020, the roads were closed for ten weeks while a 360-foot (110 m) rail tunnel was constructed. The new tunnel has an additional 4 feet (1.2 m) of clearance, accommodating double-stack rail cars.[11] It also created new public space in Triangle Park next to St. Stephen's Episcopal Church. The first train went through the tunnel on September 18, 2020, as part of a reopening celebration.[12]

The project was completed within budget at a cost of $91.5 million: $72 million for construction, $14.8 million for right-of-way, $4.4 million for engineering, and $300,000 for utility relocation. All costs were shared by Vermont and the Federal Highway Administration. The COVID-19 pandemic was said to have caused delays, but not increased costs.[13] The community liaison for the project, Jim Gish, posted weekly updates for over four years.[14][15]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d Flowers, John (30 September 2018). "Middlebury narrows down rail platform sites". Addison County Independent. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  2. ^ "Bus Schedules". Vermont Translines. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  3. ^ "Middlebury Passenger Rail Platform". www.townofmiddlebury.org. Town of Middlebury. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  4. ^ Varricchio, Lou (1 October 2021). "Build it and they will come: Amtrak depot stands ready for 2022 service". suncommunitynews.com. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  5. ^ Hall, C.B. (18 September 2020). "Middlebury celebrates rail tunnel opening". Vermont Business Magazine. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  6. ^ Flowers, John (30 April 2018). "Middlebury begins search for passenger rail platform". Addison County Independent. Archived from the original on 7 July 2019.
  7. ^ a b Varricchio, Lou (10 February 2021). "Middlebury's passenger rail platform "on track"". The Sun. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  8. ^ a b Flowers, John (8 July 2021). "Middlebury rail platform nearing completion". Addison Independent. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  9. ^ Flowers, John (18 November 2021). "Summer debut eyed for passenger train". Addison Independent. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  10. ^ Flowers, John (17 October 2019). "Midd, Vergennes prepare for passenger rail". Addison County Independent. Archived from the original on 20 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  11. ^ "About the Project". Middlebury Bridge & Rail Project. Vermont Agency of Transportation. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  12. ^ Flowers, John (24 September 2020). "Middlebury's downtown reopens". Addison Independent. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  13. ^ Flowers, John (23 December 2021). "Middlebury rail project comes in on budget". Addison Independent. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  14. ^ Amen, Becca; Wu, Florence. "A walking tour of the Middlebury Bridge & Rail Project". The Middlebury Campus. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  15. ^ Gish, Jim. "Project Blog". Middlebury, Vermont Downtown Bridge Replacement & Rail Line Improvement Project. Retrieved 21 November 2021.

Further reading[]

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