For years, Brattleboro has billed itself as the “gateway to Vermont,” as has Windham County, by extension.
But it seems that this gateway only goes one way.
If you don't own a car, or you are unable or unwilling to drive long distances, you are pretty much trapped in southern Vermont. Quite frankly, public transportation is not a reliable option.
Want to go to Boston? There hasn't been passenger train service from Bellows Falls or Brattleboro since 1958. There's only one morning Greyhound bus going south from Bellows Falls and Brattleboro to Springfield, Mass., where it connects with buses for Boston and New York.
Want to go to New York City by train? There is only Amtrak's Vermonter, and that leaves at 12:31 p.m. (sometimes), and doesn't get to the Big Apple until 6:24 p.m. (sometimes).
It's quicker to drive to Springfield, Mass. and catch one of the six trains that run between that city and New York, than to take the frequently delayed Vermonter.
Want to go north to Burlington? There is only one morning Greyhound bus, and the early-evening northbound trip on Amtrak's Vermonter.
Want to go to Montreal? That one northbound Greyhound from Brattleboro will allow you to do so, with a change of buses in White River Junction, and that trip will take 6½ hours. As for a train, the Vermonter hasn't gone past St. Albans since the 1990s.
Want to go to Bradley International Airport in Connecticut? There is no direct bus service from Brattleboro, and the private airport shuttle services are pricey.
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For all the talk by local and state economic development people about making southern Vermont a destination for small businesses and entrepreneurs, the reality is that the lack of reliable and affordable transit links between Brattleboro and the rest of the major northeast cites is a deal breaker.
When a trip to Montpelier by train becomes a three-day process - an evening of travel, a hotel stay, a day of business, and then another night in a hotel before the next southbound train arrives to take you back to Brattleboro - train travel becomes totally impractical.
When only one bus each day links Brattleboro to Boston or New York, and that one bus doesn't get you to either city until mid-afternoon, it's also impractical to consider that mode of transportation.
And the sad state of public transportation does not just affect tourists and commuters.
It's a well-documented fact that the population of Vermont is growing older. As the Baby Boomers start easing into their 60s and 70s, they are less inclined, or able, to drive long distances.
What happens to the state's economy when a sizable demographic group loses its mobility?
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In its recent rescue of the meager Greyhound service that Brattleboro and Bellows Falls now enjoys, the Vermont Agency of Transportation recognizes a very important point: the state needs needs a reliable and robust system of public transportation.
State officials are working on a plan to do just that. The Vermont Intercity Bus Network Plan is expected to be delivered in September, and it will help determine the priorities, scope, and funding required to develop a useful and convenient transportation network.
Public transportation in Vermont is a good investment: for personal mobility, for energy efficiency, and for economic development. The state should make it a priority in the coming years.