BRATTLEBORO — The Vermont Transportation Board will hold a public forum on Nov. 9, at 6 p.m., at the Brattleboro Museum & Arts Center, 10 Vernon St., on transportation policy associated with trains, both passenger and freight.
The Board wants to discuss railroad related issues with the public - including rail-side economic development and the possible initiation of commuter rail service to Massachusetts - to determine how future policy can be shaped to best position Vermont's rail interests to meet the needs of the state residents, according to a news release.
The forum is one of seven such public conversations the Board is holding around the state. Topics the Board plans to discuss include:
• Living with railroads as neighbors, and the issues they present.
• Starting commuter rail service linking Brattleboro to various points in Massachusetts.
• Passenger rail expansion along Vermont's western corridor between Rutland and Burlington, and from various points in Vermont to Montreal.
• Truck traffic through villages and town centers, and the effect of rail expansion.
• Adjacent rail-side economic development and planning for increased rail activity.
* Rail safety, including crossings, trespassing, and response to potential emergency incidents.
“Vermont is poised to significantly expand passenger rail in the very near future, while at the same time the state also is seeking growth opportunities for both the movement and off-loading of freight,” said David Coen, acting chair of the Transportation Board, in the news release. “As a result, we want to have a conversation with Vermonters to both hear their suggestions as well as understand their concerns regarding these new services and how the state uses its rail lines.”