It looks like the Vermonter from New Haven to St Albens VT no longer has connecting bus service to Montreal. Does anyone know if it is possible to get to Montreal from St Albans? Is it because the State of Vermont funds a good part of this route and does not want people using Vermont as a thru route? I had a few people tell me they would have loved to take the train to Montreal but they would have to drive to Poughkepski NY or take the train down to NYC to catch the Adirondeck any help?
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
Not surprising, Mr Tanner--
As you note, a State, in this instance Vermont, will in all likelihood fund a train to bring people TO the attractions within the State - not through to someone else,s.
I believe you must accept that the only route Amtrak offers serving Montreal is the Adinorndack.
Posted by dilly (Member # 1427) on :
I was lucky enough to travel on the Vermonter when its bus connection was still intact. I found the train to be a great alternate route between Montreal and New York -- almost as scenic as the Adirondack.
Unfortunately, the bus/train combo fell victim to "improved scheduling." Up until 18 months ago, the southbound Vermonter departed St. Albans late enough in the morning for bus passengers from Montreal to make the connection.
However, to make the route appealing to business travelers, the State of Vermont leaned on Amtrak to roll back the train's St. Albans departure from 10:45am to 6:35am.
Evidently, the bus company balked. Under the new schedule, passengers coming from Canada would have had to board their bus four hours earlier than before -- at an ungodly 4:15am. Since the number of people traveling between Montreal and St. Albans was already low (especially on weekdays), the ridiculously earlier departure time would have eroded ridership to the single digits.
It doesn't make good business sense to run a bus nearly empty. As a result, the Montreal / St. Albans connection was discontinued.
Posted by sojourner (Member # 3134) on :
Have you looked into the possibility of taking the bus from Montreal the night before and overnighting in the Burlington area, or of taking a bus to Rutland VT and catching the Ethan Allen there? I am not sure how that would work logistically but Burlington is a nice city. Also, for driving to catch the Adirondack, Poughkeepsie is not the only possibility; there is Rhinecliff (the station for Rhinebeck, just 2 miles away and with taxi service), Hudson (to which people in the Berkshires often drive) and Albany (a new station, actually across the river in Rensselaer), all with many daily trains to NYC, some of them still unreserved; there is also Saratoga, where both the Ethan Allen and the Adirondack stop once a day each way. And I believe some travelers from Vermont drive over to Westport, NY, park there, and catch the Adirondack (though you would miss a portion of the gorgeous train ride).
Posted by CN 6060 Fan (Member # 3093) on :
One bus a day between St Albans and Montreal but there are additional buses to/from Burlington. Or you could connect in Waterbury or Montpelier.
Posted by dilly (Member # 1427) on :
Regarding Vermont Transit's current service to and from St. Albans:
Unless you plan to stay over in St. Albans, the train-to-bus thing isn't an option. By the time the northbound train arrives at St. Albans, the bus to Montreal is long gone. And by the time the bus from Montreal arrives at St. Albans, the southbound train is long gone.
Switching at Burlington or Montpelier isn't any better. Depending on the day and direction you're traveling, you'll either miss your connection by many hours, have to wait several hours, or be cutting it so close that if either the bus or the train arrives late (which is common due to freight traffic and "formalities" at the U.S./Canada border), you'll be screwed.
There's no longer any attempt by Amtrak or the bus company to coordinate their services, hence no "guaranteed connection." If you get stranded in mid-journey, and have to fork over the cash for a motel room, it will unfortunately be your problem alone.
Stick with the Adirondack.
Posted by Railvt (Member # 1397) on :
As of the new Spring Amtrak timetable in effect at the end of April the VERMONTER's connection from St. Albans to Montreal by bus is back. This service was cut because the bus operator, Vermont Transit, refused to schedule a bus out of Montreal at 345AM, as was necessary on the schedule in effect for the last 18 months.
But the new schedule puts the southbound train back to 830AM southbound out of St. Albans. This allows a still early but doable bus departure from Central Station in Montreal at 545AM, arriving St. Albans at 745AM. The fairly long connecting layover of 45 minutes is needed to compensate for potential Customs Delays at the border. The bus/train connection is guaranteed. Northbound the bus will depart St. Albans at 930PM (guaranteed conection from the 925PM VERMONTER arrival) and arrive Montreal at 1100PM.
This service was never cut because Vermont didn't want it. It used a regularly scheduled Vermont Transit service bus run St. Albans-Montreal at VT simply wouldn't agree to the very very early Montreal departure.
The loss of this connection VERY seriously hurt the VERMONTER. Typically 20-25 passengers per day made the connection--all revenue lost to the VERMONTER. The Vermont Agency of Transport Rail Section is delighted to have it back.