Ferrisburgh–Vergennes station

Ferrisburgh–Vergennes station is an intermodal Amtrak and bus station in Ferrisburgh, Vermont, adjacent to the city of Vergennes. The facility opened in 2007 as a free park and ride lot operated by the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans).[4] Bus service is provided by Tri-Valley Transit and Vermont Translines. The historic station building serves passengers at the Amtrak platform located along the southwest corner of the facility. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2021 as the Vergennes Station House. Rail service began on July 29, 2022, when the Ethan Allen Express was extended from Rutland to Burlington.

Ferrisburgh–Vergennes, VT
Ferrisburgh–Vergennes station in July 2022
General information
Location49 Park Lane
Ferrisburgh, Vermont[1]
United States
Coordinates44.1809°N 73.2489°W / 44.1809; -73.2489
Line(s)Vermont Railway
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks1
ConnectionsTri-Valley Transit Tri-Valley Transit
Vermont Translines Vermont Translines
Construction
Parking77 spaces[2]
AccessibleYes
Other information
StatusUnstaffed station with waiting room
Station codeAmtrak: VRN
History
OpenedJuly 25, 2007 (2007-07-25) (park and ride)
July 29, 2022 (2022-07-29) (train station)
Passengers
FY 2022633[3] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Burlington
Terminus
 Ethan Allen Express Middlebury
toward New York
Former services
Preceding station Rutland Railroad Following station
Ferrisburg station
North Ferrisburg
toward Rouses Point
 Main Line Vergennes
toward North Bennington or Bellows Falls
Vergennes station
Ferrisburgh
toward Rouses Point
 Main Line New Haven Junction
toward North Bennington or Bellows Falls
North Ferrisburgh
toward Montreal
 Green Mountain Flyer / Mount Royal New Haven Junction
toward New York or Boston
Vergennes Station House
The trackside face of the Vergennes Station House
NRHP reference No.100006640
Added to NRHPMay 28, 2021

Services

Tri-Valley Transit, the public transit provider for Addison County, provides regional bus service to the park and ride. As of 2022, the Burlington LINK Express serves the station twice in each direction each weekday (thrice on Saturdays) on a route between Middlebury and Burlington.[5]

Vermont Translines provides intercity motorcoach service to the station on its route following U.S. Route 7 between Albany and Burlington. Two buses run per day in each direction.[6] The route is codeshared with Greyhound[7] and Amtrak Thruway, allowing riders to book longer trips on a single ticket. The bus stop was previously assigned Amtrak station code VGN,[8] but now uses code VRN, as does the train station.

Amtrak's Ethan Allen Express serves Ferrisburgh–Vergennes with one daily round trip. The station has one low-level side platform to the northeast of the single track. A portable wheelchair lift makes the station accessible.

History
South-facing view of the completed platform prior to the start of service

The Rutland and Burlington Railroad (R&B) opened between Burlington and Bellows Falls on December 18, 1849, with regular service beginning December 24.[9][10]: 41 [11]: 74  The line cut through the northeast corner of Vergennes, Vermont, where the railroad built a station house, freight depot, and related buildings around 1851.[12] The town saw passenger trains for over 100 years, when in 1953 the service was discontinued to Vergennes. The station house subsequently fell into disrepair.

The 85-space Ferrisburgh Park and Ride lot opened near the junction of U.S. Route 7 and Vermont Route 22A in southern Ferrisburgh on July 25, 2007. It was built at a cost of $1.1 million. Chittenden County Transportation Authority (now Green Mountain Transit) and Addison County Transit Resources (now Tri-Valley Transit) began serving a stop at the park-and-ride lot on August 27, 2007.[13] In October 2017, Vermont Translines began serving the Ferrisburgh Park and Ride with the single daily round trip of its Albany–Burlington bus route.[14] All interstate services from Vermont, including the Albany–Burlington route, were suspended on March 26, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[15] It resumed on July 19, 2021, with two daily round trips.[16][17]

In 2012, the VTrans announced that the dilapidated Vergennes station building would be moved 1,000 feet (300 m) up the rail line from Vergennes to the Ferrisburgh Park and Ride facility and completely rehabilitated. Phase I of the project involved moving the building to a new foundation and restoring its exterior, while Phase II consisted of renovating its interior. The project was engineered for VTrans by Stantec.[18][19] Phase I was budgeted at $1.3 million, with $700,000 coming from the 2012 Vermont transportation budget and $400,000 from a federal grant.[20][21] Millbrook Building and Remodeling relocated the building on October 27, 2012.[22]

In December 2017, the Ferrisburgh Zoning Board of Adjustment approved a permit to renovate the interior of the station house and build an adjacent train platform.[23]

The station house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in May 2021.[24] The rehabilitation project won the 2021 Merit Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Vermont in the Special Projects category.[25]

In October 2019 VTrans started construction of a platform adjacent to the station building.[26] By December 2020, VTrans called the station "substantially complete,"[27] and in November 2021 said the only thing left to do was find a station agent.[28] Ethan Allen Express service began on July 29, 2022.

Architecture
Waiting area inside the restored station house in August 2022

The Vergennes Station House was built about 1851, probably to a design by Vermont architect Gurdon P. Randall. Randall was a protegé of Asher Benjamin, and specialized for some years in the design of railroad-related buildings. It was originally located just north of downtown Vergennes, about 1/3 of a mile south of its present location, on the opposite side of the track and in reversed orientation. It is a two-story frame structure, with a gabled roof at its center and 1+1⁄2-story gabled wings extending to the sides. The front facade is dominated by three arches, the outer of which are blind and closed with clapboard siding, with the center one housing the main entrance. It is covered by a modern standing seam metal roof, with reproduced Italianate bracketing along the eaves and gable edges. It is considered an unusually good instance of early Italianate architecture in Vermont.[12]

References
  1. "Ferrisburgh-Vergennes, Vermont – Amtrak Station". Amtrak.
  2. "Ferrisburgh - Vergennes Park and Ride". www.parkme.com. ParkMe. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  3. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2022: State of Vermont" (PDF). Amtrak. June 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  4. "Vermont Park and Rides". Vermont Agency of Transportation.
  5. "LINK to Burlington Schedule" (PDF). Tri-Valley Transit. 26 August 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  6. "Bus Schedules". Vermont Translines. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  7. "Ferrisburgh Park & Ride in Vergennes, Vermont". Greyhound. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  8. "Ferrisburgh-Vergennes, VT - VTrans Park and Ride (VGN)". www.amtrak.com. Amtrak. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  9. "Rutland and Burlington Railroad, Through to Bellows Falls". The Enterprise and Vermonter. January 2, 1850. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. Lindsell, Robert M. (2000). The Rail Lines of Northern New England. Branch Line Press. ISBN 0942147065.
  11. Sargent, David W., Jr. (1942). "The Rutland Railroad". The Railway and Locomotive Historical Society Bulletin (58A): 73–90. JSTOR 43504336.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. "Review of Vergennes Station House" (PDF). State of Vermont. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
  13. Hallenbeck, Terri (July 25, 2007). "Park-and-ride to open today". The Burlington Free Press. p. 1B, 3B – via Newspapers.com.
  15. Anderson, Eric (March 26, 2020). "Vermont governor suspends Amtrak service to state, tells residents to stay home Vermont governor suspends Amtrak service to state, tells residents to stay home". Albany Times-Union. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  16. "Agency of Transportation announces restart of Amtrak and inter-city transit service". Vermont Journal. April 11, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  18. "Vergennes Train Depot". www.stantec.com. Stantec. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  19. "Ferrisburgh-Vergennes Train Station Rehabilitation" (PDF). American Council of Engineering Companies - Vermont Section. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  20. Kirkaldy, Andy (30 September 2012). "Vergennes depot moving to commuter lot". Addison Independent. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  21. "Review of Vergennes Station House" (PDF). Vermont Agency of Transportation. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  22. "Photos from the move on October 27, 2012 - Millbrook Building & Remodeling". www.millbrookvt.com. 9 November 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  23. "Minutes for meeting of December 6, 2017; approved May 2, 2018" (PDF). Town of Ferrisburgh Zoning Board of Adjustment. 2 May 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  24. "Weekly List 2021 05 28". National Register of Historic Places. United States National Park Service. May 28, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  25. "ACEC of Vermont Announces 2021 Engineering Excellence Awards". www.acec.org. ACEC. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  26. Flowers, John (October 17, 2019). "Midd, Vergennes prepare for passenger rail". Addison County Independent. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  27. Parker, Christopher (December 15, 2020). "Almost Ready For Amtrak To Burlington". Atlantic Northeast Rails & Ports. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  28. Flowers, John (November 18, 2021). "Summer debut eyed for passenger train". Addison Independent. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
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