Green Mountain Flyer

The Green Mountain Flyer was an international day train between Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and the Northeast United States, with sections to New York City and Boston. It was operated in cooperation between the Rutland Railroad, the Canadian National Railway and the New York Central Railroad. The train carried the number 65 running north, and number 64 running south.[1] The Mount Royal (#51 north, #52 south) was the night train counterpart to the Green Mountain Flyer.[2][3] Following years of cutbacks, both trains were discontinued in 1953 when the Rutland Railway ended all passenger service.

Green Mountain Flyer
Overview
Service typeInter-city rail
Statusdiscontinued
LocaleNortheastern United States/Quebec, Canada
First service1892
Last service1953
SuccessorEthan Allen Express (partial)
Former operator(s)Rutland Railroad
New York Central Railroad
Boston & Maine Railroad
Canadian National Railway
Route
TerminiNew York, New York
Montreal, Quebec
Distance travelled391.4 miles (629.9 km)
Service frequencyDaily
Train number(s)65 (northbound), 64 (southbound)
On-board services
Seating arrangementscoach
Catering facilitiesdining car

History

Route

The trains' route, running south, began in Canadian National Railway territory from Montreal Central Station to the Canada–United States border at Rouses Point, New York. After traversing the islands of Lake Champlain and the Colchester Causeway, the trains served Burlington, Vermont, at its Union Station. Both trains had second-sections that split at Rutland, Vermont, and continued through on Rutland Railroad trackage to Bellows Falls, Vermont, where they followed Boston & Maine Railroad trackage through Keene, New Hampshire and Fitchburg, Massachusetts to Boston, Massachusetts' North Station.[4]

The main route continued from Rutland to North Bennington, to Troy, New York; then along the New York Central Hudson Division and Electric Division into Grand Central Terminal in New York City.[5][6]

Demise

On September 29, 1951, the Green Mountain Flyer was cut back to Burlington, leaving only the Mount Royal serving Montreal.[7] On April 27, 1952, the northbound New York section of the Green Mountain Flyer was moved four hours later. The northbound Boston section was combined with a local train north of Rutland and operated separately from the New York section. Southbound, the New York and Boston sections continued to run combined from Burlington to Rutland.[8][9] A strike on June 26, 1953, ended all Rutland Railway passenger service, including the Green Mountain Flyer and the Mount Royal. With the discontinuation of these trains, direct train service into Burlington ended.[10][11]

Later service

Since 1974, Montreal–New York train service has been provided by Amtrak's Adirondack, the successor to a one-time Green Mountain Flyer competitor: the Laurentian. The Adirondack takes a more westerly route between Rouses Point and Hudson that bypasses Vermont.

In 2022 the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) and Amtrak extended the Ethan Allen Express from Rutland to Burlington over the line formerly used by the Green Mountain Flyer, restoring Burlington–New York service.[12] VTrans has also proposed adding a second Burlington–New York train via North Bennington and Manchester that would more-closely match the former route of the Green Mountain Flyer.[13]: 8–10 

As of 2022 there remains no direct passenger rail service between Montreal and Boston.

References
  1. New York Central Railroad timetable, 1948, pp. 26, 27, 41 http://streamlinermemories.info/NYC/NYC48-4TT.pdf
  2. American Rails, "Mount Royal," https://www.american-rails.com/mt-ryl.html
  3. New York Central Railroad timetable, 1948, pp. 26, 27, 41 http://streamlinermemories.info/NYC/NYC48-4TT.pdf
  4. American Rails, "Green Mountain Flyer" https://www.american-rails.com/grn-mtn-fyr.html
  5. American Rails, "Green Mountain Flyer" https://www.american-rails.com/grn-mtn-fyr.html
  6. 'Official Guide of the Railways,' 1921, Rutland Railroad section, Table 1
  7. "Curtailment of R.R. Passenger Service Approved". The Barre Daily Times. September 19, 1951. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "New Time Brings Rutland Train Schedule Change". Addison County Independent. April 25, 1952. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. The Green Mountain Lake Champlain Route. Rutland Railway. April 26, 1953 – via Wikimedia Commons.
  10. Lindsell, Robert M. (2000). The Rail Lines of Northern New England. Branch Line Press. pp. 35–46, 175. ISBN 0942147065.
  11. "RR Strike Idles 650, Ties Up All Traffic on Line". Rutland Daily Herald. June 27, 1953. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. Delabruere, Dan (June 16, 2022). "Agency of Transportation Announces Start Date for Long-Awaited Amtrak Service in Burlington, Vergennes, and Middlebury" (PDF). Vermont Agency of Transportation.
  13. "Vermont Rail Plan: Passenger Rail Forecasting Scenarios" (PDF). Vermont Rail Plan. Vermont Agency of Transportation. May 2021.
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