(The following story by Chris Garofolo appeared on the Brattleboro Reformer Staff website on May 5, 2010.)
BRATTLEBORO, Vt. — After a successful in-state deal for Vermonters traveling via passenger rail, Amtrak has expanded the package for the remainder of the year.
The special rate of $12 will remain available until Dec. 31 for travel between any two stops along the Vermonter’s daily route.
The Vermonter travels from St. Albans and continues through New England all the way to Washington, D.C. — it makes stops in nine downtowns around the state.
Along the Amtrak route, businesses have included special package deals with the state.
Erica Housekeeper, of the state department of tourism and marketing, said her agency teamed up with Amtrak and reached out to downtown businesses and lodges to put together a specialized package for in-state travel, as well as for visitors coming into Vermont via rail.
“It’s a great way to promote the downtowns,” she said.
Bob Atchinson, Vermont Agency of Transportation rail project coordinator, said the low one-way fare began last year, but ridership did not start to pick up until the fall when college students and tourists heading to Essex Junction began taking advantage of the deal.
“It took a while to get up and going, but people seem enthusiastic about it,” he said. “I encourage people to get out and try it.”
The Brattleboro stop has also seen a jump in northern Vermont residents coming to the region for its small-town shopping and dining experiences.
“I do think there seems to be more travel up north to Brattleboro, more students, more people visiting Brattleboro,” said Christopher Parker, executive director of the Vermont Rail Action Network. The numbers on the Vermonter in general were very good last year — Brattleboro saw ridership numbers up greater than 20 percent, he said.
But Parker noted more Vermonters could take advantage of the special deal if they knew about it. He said finding out about the package is challenging if customers don’t know where to look for it, especially when riders can only access it with a promotional code.
“I think there’s only a subset of people who know about the fare,” he said. Passenger numbers were initially low because the groups did not do a decent job getting the word out, he added.
Additionally, Parker said the fare should better reflect the distance traveled by the passenger. A ride from Brattleboro to Bellows Falls should not cost the same as traveling to Montpelier or White River Junction.
“In my opinion, ridership is very sensitive to fares … The cheaper the fare, the more people will ride, no matter the distance,” he said.
Ridership along the Vermonter line is significantly up the last year, particularity on the northern portion of the route, according to Amtrak’s figures.
From October 2009 to March, the St. Albans to Springfield, Mass., segment saw ridership increase 10.2 percent. That is a significant difference from the rider numbers from Springfield to New Haven, Conn., which only witnessed a 1.4 percent increase.
Revenue along the Vermonter line as jumped 27 percent too.
Representatives attribute the increase to a major marketing effort for the Vermont-controlled segments of the passenger line, as well as an upswing in the economy.
Parker hopes an increased attention to the rails on National Train Day will bring more enthusiasts out to the station. This Saturday, from noon to 1 p.m., groups will have a variety of exhibits on display, as well as a train simulator at the Brattleboro station near the corner of Main and Canal streets.
The local event coincides with hundreds of other activities around the state and country this weekend. Amtrak’s third annual nationwide celebration day was established to commemorate the country’s history and passion for trains.