Middlebury orders study to pin down rail station location

The town of Middlebury, Vt., is applying for a $15,000 federal grant to plan for a local, passenger rail station in anticipation of ramped-up train service along the western part of the state, the Addison Independent reports.

Middlebury Town Manager
Bill Finger said making progress toward a passenger rail station would also
likely enhance the community’s chances for landing federal aid to replace the
two railroad underpasses on Main Street and Merchants Row. Those two underpass
projects have been on the Vermont Agency of Transportation’s to-do list for
several years.

Middlebury Development
Review Board Administrator Ted Dunakin said the state recently applied for
federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grant money to help make
rail improvements along the western corridor – including the Middlebury
underpasses. But the Federal Railroad Administration rejected the application,
citing in part the absence of a formal plan for a station stop in the town of
Middlebury, according to Dunakin.

A new round of ARRA
rail-related grants is slated to be awarded in the near future, and Middlebury
officials want to enhance the state’s odds of landing some of that money by
laying the groundwork for a rail station.

"It basically ties the
railroad station idea to the (underpass) proposals," Finger said.

The study is likely to
focus on three potential rail station sites, according to Finger. They include
the town’s original rail station site off Water Street, near where the Cross Street
Bridge construction recently took place; the historic railroad station off
Seymour Street (which is privately owned and now being renovated for
office/retail use); and the vicinity of the rail yard off MacIntyre Lane.

"There may be other places,
but these are places that have been looked at in various ways before," Finger
said.

The grant money would be
used to hire a consultant to evaluate potential rail station sites, do some
preliminary cost estimates and help the town narrow the candidates down to a
leading option. Finger said there is no requirement at this time that the town
acquire a station site, though it must be located in the railroad right-of-way.

Middlebury will have to come
up with a $3,000 local match toward the $15,000 grant.

"I think it is a timely
proposal and we should go ahead with the grant application and see if we can
work closely with the state and get everything in order so we can get the
tunnel process under way," Finger said.

Middlebury selectboard
Chairman John Tenny said Vermont Railway is working hard to enhance the state’s
chances of landing ARRA grant money. A major upgrade of the Vermont’s western
rail corridor is being seen as a precursor to Amtrak passenger service –
perhaps within five or six years, according to Vermont Railway officials.

"Certainly, that would
create tremendous opportunities for the town that don’t exist today," Tenny
said. "It’s exciting.

"We are long overdue for
this," added Selectman Nick Artim.