Update on Amtrak and Rail Issues in VT / Amtrak in Vermont--Lessons from the VERMONTER

Carl Fowler is a life-long advocate for passenger rail--indeed it's "in the family blood", as his mother was a Pullman reservationist at Penn Station in New York when he was born. From 1983 to 2015 Mr. Fowler operated Rail Travel Center/Rail Travel Adventures, a train-focused company that offered tours by train worldwide. He has been active in the Rail Passengers Association of the USA for over 40 years and is currently Vice Chairman. He serves on the Vermont Rail Advisory Council. Mr. Fowler was the author in 1994/95 of the schedule plan that was adopted when the daylight VERMONTER replaced the discontinued overnight MONTREALER, saving Amtrak service in Vermont. Over his life he has traveled over 350,000 miles by train worldwide.

The program title is "Amtrak in Vermont: Lessons from the VERMONTER". It covers the history of passenger rail in Vermont and the saga of its rebirth under Amtrak. I focus on both the strengths of what we have created and our weaknesses, such as infrequency and lack of connections. Most importantly the program looks at how we might convert our two currently isolated passenger train routes into an integrated network, serving both the USA and Canada and regional rail within Vermont.