RAIL MISSION FOR THE AGENCY OF TRANSPORTATION

The Vermont Agency of Transportation’s rail mission is the preservation, improvement and promotion of rail transportation and its infrastructure to assure safe, reliable, cost-effective, and environmentally responsible movement of people and goods in the overall transportation system, thereby contributing to Vermont’s quality of life and economic well-being.

VISION OF VERMONT’S RAIL SYSTEM

The vision for Vermont’s rail system is one that:

 §  Provides time and service competitive freight and passenger service into, out of, through, and within the state via connections to the national rail system.

§  Provides connections between the paralleling north-south corridors to prevent fragmentation of the rail system and to provide sufficient redundancy in the event of temporary loss of service in any one portion of the system.

§  Includes connecting branch lines that provide access to markets which warrant rail service.

§  Passenger stations and freight facilities are located in a manner that supports efficient operation of the system and is in harmony with the host community.

§  Has a freight network that is overlaid with tourist, regional, and intercity passenger services in locales where market conditions warrant such operations.

§  Continues to be a mixture of state and privately-owned rights-of-way.

§  Generates sufficient revenues and support for additional public investment so as to permit maintenance and necessary upgrading to be performed in an efficient and timely manner.

 Realization of this vision will ensure that the Vermont rail transportation assets achieve and sustain their full value as a component in the state, national and ultimately global transportation network.

 VTRANS RAIL GOALS

To accomplish its mission VTrans will seek to reach the following goals (not intended to be listed in priority order):

 §  Promote efficient operations of Vermont’s rail system, so that it is a seamless, competitive, interconnected and integrated portion of the state and national multimodal transportation system – in the movement of both people and goods - and a robust component of Vermont’s economy.

§  Support the improvement of intermodal movements to include double stack so as to enhance in Vermont this burgeoning segment of the U.S. transportation industry and promote the most efficient and productive utilization of both modes – highway and rail – in Vermont.

§  Support Vermont's economy by providing rail access, as appropriate, to all areas of the state, so that rail can be a strong component of Vermont’s economy.

§  Remove current weight and clearance restrictions as appropriate so that Vermont’s railroads will be competitive in today’s North American environment of 286,000 pound gross weight and intermodal railcars.

§  Complement the regular operating maintenance efforts of Vermont's railroads, taking into account each line's long-term importance and the resources available.

§  Develop programs to assist in major rehabilitation or replacement of obsolete bridges, structures, rails and other infrastructure and fixtures required for maintaining current operations.

§  Seek adequate and stable funding, including Federal assistance for rail projects, and assure appropriate staffing to support the Agency’s mission.

§  Cooperate with Vermont towns, regions, other state agencies, and interested parties in open communications and public outreach, to seek balance between the needs of the railroads and the human and natural environments.

§  Continue to promote efficient rail freight and passenger movement to assure continued environmental, economic, and other benefits inherent in use of the rail mode.

§  Strive to maintain the safest possible network of rail infrastructure and operations to assure the safety of Vermont’s communities, natural resources, traveling public and railroad workers.

§  Maximize the use of rail system assets owned by the State for the fiscal and economic benefit of the State.

§  Preserve rail corridors for future transportation use.

 The Role of Rail in Vermont, the Vision of Vermont’s Rail System, the Rail Mission for the Agency of Transportation and the VTrans Rail Goals were utilized as the foundation for development of the policies and recommendations contained in the SR&PP.