The passenger train isn’t scheduled to pull into the Queen City before 2021, but
hands shot up with complaints and concerns throughout the presentation at the Department of Public Works building on Pine Street. No public comments supported the report’s suggestion that downtown Union Station, between King and College streets, is the most suitable location for overnight train storage.
Once the train begins service to Burlington, it must be housed overnight from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. City officials requested the planning commission study five locations as potential storage sites. Union Station scored poorly for train visibility, noise impacts and proximity to residential areas, but scored well for ease of property acquisition, electrical power availability and crew convenience.
Residents and business owners raised concerns about the effect the train will have on the health and sanity of those who live along the waterfront. Attendees pointed out that the committee did not take into account tourism or impacts on businesses, and seemed to lack a clear methodology for evaluating the sites.
Phelan Fretz, the executive director of the nearby ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, expressed concern during public comment that the report was not standardized in any scientific manner despite being repeatedly labeled by committee members as an “objective evaluation.” He left the building debating the issue with Eleni Churchill, the commission’s transportation program manager.
“Science is under attack in this country right now. Running a science institution, I really ask that people are very careful about how they throw around numbers,” said Fretz. “Science is critical in our society and when we compromise it, we lose a great deal.”
Odele Peter, a resident of Lakeview Terrace, was one of many attendees who disagreed with the report’s assessment that Burlington’s hills would block noise from the train. Peter said the hill amplifies noise and that she can hear the conversations people have on the bike path from her house above.
Staige Davis, CEO of Four Seasons Sotheby’s International Realty, said the suggested location would negatively impact tourism and activity on the waterfront. Davis owns property next to Union Station, and said the proposal would make leasing and sales more difficult for condo owners.
Other possible sites include two areas in the Urban Reserve, a parkland along the bike path north of Waterfront Park; Vermont Rail System’s railyard near Perkins Pier; and Flynn Avenue, adjacent to the new City Market, Onion River Co-op.
Many attendees expressed a preference for train storage at the railyard. But commission members said Vermont Rail System has insisted it does not have the capacity to store another train.
Residents were skeptical of that claim. Rick Sharp, owner of Burlington Segways, said it was inconceivable to him that the state could not find a place to store a train in a railyard.
Some attendees questioned whether storing the train in Burlington is a good idea at all. Carl Fowler, a board member of the Vermont Rail Advisory Council but who spoke as a public citizen, was met with applause when he suggested that the best storage location for a train would be in Saint Albans. Fowler also critiqued renderings the commission showed of the train in the different proposed locations. He said the train used in the images is a double-decker train, which would not make it to Vermont because of low tunnels in New York.
Despite the disagreements, many speakers affirmed their support for train transportation and expressed hope that all sides could come together. Fretz said ECHO would soon be hosting an outside display on energy that will include train history.
Churchill, who appeared tired and disappointed after the public onslaught, said her committee would regroup to see what parts of the report ought to be redone. After rerunning evaluations, the report and resident feedback will be sent to Vermont Agency of Transportation, which will ultimately decide where the train overnights.
Churchill said the train will be a great asset for the city and said she hopes to find agreement on a storage location.
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Dear dear Ms Churchill , what part of NIMBY do you not understand . Don’t let the ” many speakers affirmed their support for train transportation ” hokum confuse you . No need to be tired and disappointed , just be coldly realistic .
Rich ard,
You clearly were not there. Ms Churchill was not beleaguered by NIMBY opposition to Amtrak trains. The consultant she hired did such an unsupportable hack job in exchange for an easy RPC consultant gig that the consultant and the RPC were embarrassed to be in the same room within 20 minutes of the start of the presentation. I believe the most appropriate term was the consultant being “called out” for such a baseless, subjective, unsupported by facts or science analysis.
VTRANS should do the right thing and recognize that requiring the train to overnight in Burlington is not the best plan. Essex and St. Albans make much more sense.
Am I missing something? The train is going to come into Burlington and go out of Burlington, right? And then it’s just going to sit on the tracks near the station overnight? What kind of negative impact will that have that isn’t already there with the train coming and going in the morning and evening?
Is it true that locomotive engines are not shut off for periods of time that they are idle? I understand that it takes some time to restart these big diesels, so, does that mean that they will run for the 11 hours that the train will sit somewhere?
You got to love the idea, “let’s send it to ST. Albans”. Typical Burlington.
“Carl Fowler, a board member of the Vermont Rail Advisory Committee but who spoke as a public citizen, was met with applause when he suggested that the best storage location for a train would be in Saint Albans.”
And we’ll make them pay for it, too!
“Rick Sharp, owner of Burlington Segways, said it was inconceivable to him that the state could not find a place to store a train in a railyard.”
Why would someone assume he knows the ins and outs of business he has no involvement in? I’ve worked in the VTR’s yard in Burlington and it’s very small and usually full, especially during busier months. You can’t just “find a place” for a train, even in a rail yard. They occupy real physical space, which is kinda the point of the article.
This certainly shows the NIMBY mentality of the people in Burlington who are against anything to promote Burlington
The storage of a train overnight by Amtrak includes quite a bit. Including structures to be built, power needs to be added and space to run a honey dipper next to the train as well. You can’t park a train like a car in a parking lot. People are going to get hosed on this, the question becomes where can we do this that affects the least amount of people? Amtrak trains are typically 5 AmFleet single level cars (in the northeast) and a single GE locomotive. The cars are 85′ 4″ long the locomotive is 69ft. This is almost 500ft of train, think about where that space could be.
Liberals like trains – until they don’t.
Liberals think public transit is great – until it isn’t.
Liberals say: “Ditch your car. Ride the train – unless…”
Unless…the train has to be parked IN MY BACKYARD when it isn’t moving.
Anyone surprised that ECHO and Main Street Landing mouthpieces – who were all for trains when they didn’t have to look at them – now suddenly are – what?! – anti-train?
Say it ain’t so!
Oh no!!!
Burlington is for the Beautiful People and Beautiful things . . Art, Diversity, the Elect and Elite, White Collar Professionals who drink IPAs . . not for dirty things like trains and those pesky homeless people or poorer folks from the Old North End who hang out on Church Street and get in the way of our shopping. We cannot be soiled by such things. They must be driven out of town and sent somewhere less beautiful than Burlington . . . like Milton.
“Gentrification today . . Gentrification tomorrow . . Gentrification forever!” – George Wallace, Real Estate Developer.
This is the real undertone of the City planners and Chamber of Commerce types.
“Carl Fowler, a board member of the Vermont Rail Advisory Committee but who spoke as a public citizen, was met with applause when he suggested that the best storage location for a train would be in Saint Albans.”
If you are a member of a sanctioned, public committee and you testify at a hearing, you speak as that incumbent.
To claim you are speaking as a “public citizen” amid your membership is a cheap stunt, though Fowler isn’t original in his use of theater.
Unique to Fowler’s claim, however, is his describing himself as a “public” citizen.
If anyone can shed light on the difference between a public citizen and a private citizen as Fowler seems to unabashedly differentiate, please post your credentials soon.
Oh, maybe when he’s pretending he is an esteemed VIP committee member – yet still wants the protections of privacy – he creates a hybrid, aka “public citizen.”
In any event, it’s all quite comedic.
how stupid are people? NECR 502 uses the Burlington Sub EVERY NIGHT. please explain how you will tie down Amtrak without getting in the way of the 502 crew. WHY IS THE “RENDERED PHOTO” SUPERLINERS?!?!? WTF…AMTRAK USES AMFLEETS ON THE ETHAN ALLAN…NOT SUPERLINERS….VRS is restoring a section of the Island line…put the Ethan Allen there….then I can get videos of Amtrak on the Island Line 🙂