State, federal, and local officials were in Brattleboro, Vt., on Wednesday to officially open the town’s new train station.
Gov. Phil Scott and Transportation Secretary Joe Flynn joined representatives from the offices of U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders and Peter Welch, along with Amtrak staff, to mark the $10 million station’s opening.
The project, which has been almost 10 years in the making, is part of Amtrak’s national program to make all of its stations ADA-compliant before 2030.
“This represents truly what the passengers, our visitors to Brattleboro, and the residents of Brattleboro expect,” said Amtrak Chief Accessibility Officer David Handera. “This is about making passenger travel accessible to everyone.”
The opening drew more than 100 people to the station, which sits right on the Connecticut River.
Along with the level platform, the station also has two ramps leading up from the parking area, new lights, and a heating system that prevents snow and ice from building up. There is also an ADA bathroom and a covered waiting area.
The station is the southernmost stop in Vermont on Amtrak’s Vermonter line, which continues on to New York City and Washington, D.C.
Amtrak originally thought it could upgrade the town’s train station, which opened in 1915, but pivoted to building a brand new station about seven years ago.
Brattleboro Rep. Mollie Burke, a longtime member of the House Transportation Committee, talked about holding meetings about the project over the years.
Burke is not running for reelection after serving 18 years in the Legislature, and she said she hoped the station would open before she finishes her final term, which ends in early January.
“Some people look at rail and see the past,” Burke said. “But we who are gathered here know that rail is an important part of our transportation future.”
Amtrak worked with local artists to create and install a ceramic mural recognizing Brattleboro’s literary history.
The art installation, which will be a permanent part of the station, includes cell phone links to stories about authors such as Robert Frost, Saul Bellow and Rudyard Kipling, who all spent some time in southeastern Vermont.
