The Vermonter

How does one get to or from St. Albans, VT and/or Essex Junction, VT (the connection to Burlington, VT) in order to travel on The Vermonter?

No information is shown in the most recent Amtrak national timetable and both stations are unstaffed so there is no one to whom I can attempt to speak at either location.

I would appreciate some information. Many thanks!

If you are at a hotel in Burlington, first check if they have a shuttle for pickups. If not pre arranging a cab is probably the best bet, on trip advisor, there are a few discussions of this scenario.

On weekdays the local transit agency runs busses into Burlington that connect with the Vermonter in both directions. Nothing on Sunday, and on Saturday the last bus into Burlington leaves before the train arrives.

What about St. Albans?

As one might be able to tell, I know very little about Vermont.

I appreciate whatever information I can get!

Burlington is a fairly large town. You might see if they have Uber. To get to Burlington, I'd suggest the Adironack to Port Kent, then very pleasant ferry ride across lake Champlain to Burlington.

Ditto on the Adirondack to Port Kent and the Ferry to Burlington!

I was running a training seminar at the OTC in Lake Placid and took JetBlue to Burlington, and rented a car so I could take the ferry. What a great ride.

I took the Crittenden County Transit Route #2 which runs Mon-Sat from Burlington to Essex Jct and stops right at the Amtrak station. I actually was staying near the airport and took another bus right in from of my hotel to connect with Route #2. It was less than an hour travel time. Unfortunately, It does not run on Sunday.

Be aware that the Port Kent to Burlington ferry does not operate year round. It stops I think in September and doesn't begin again until spring.

Use the trip planning feature of Bing Maps to get familiar with these various locations and routes between them: http://www.bing.com/maps/?FORM=Z9LH4#Y3A9NDYuNTIyMDk5fi04Ny4zODgxMDAmbHZsPTQmc3R5PXImcnRwPXBvcy40NC40NzU5MjJfLTczLjIxMzIyNl9CdXJsaW5ndG9uJTJDJTIwVlRfX19lX35wb3MuNDQuNDkwNzk5Xy03My4xMTEwMDBfRXNzZXglMjBKdW5jdGlvbiUyQyUyMFZUX19fZV9+cG9zLjQ0LjgxMjI0OF8tNzMuMTEzODAwX1N0JTIwQWxiYW5zJTJDJTIwVlRfX19lXyZtb2RlPUQmcnRvcD0wfjB+MH4=

Regards

Earlier poster is correct, Burlington to Port Kent is seasonal, the other 2 are year round. Plattsburgh to Grand Isle runs 24/7 even in the winter to keep a channel open where it would otherwise ice over.

The last time I went to St. Albans it seemed like the entire town has exactly two taxicabs. I shared one with some of the Amtrak crew to get to the hotel which apparently was the one that Amtrak crew overnights in.

I do appreciate all of the replies and information. Thank you.

Travel is often not simple. And, The Vermonter, at least to the end/beginning of the line, is an example of this.

If you are staying in Burlington and *really* wanted to take the Vermonter from St. Albans, on a weekday it is possible. You can take the 5:40am or 6:40am St. Albans LINK Bus #96 from downtown Burlington (Cherry St. Terminal) which stops in downtown St. Albans, a short walk from the train station. I did this once when I stayed in Burlington and got to see the train crew prepare and move the train from the yard to the station. I was also the only person who boarded the train at SAB that day, so I had the entire train to myself for the half hour run from SAB-ESX. The bus fare is $4.00 (or $2.75 "step-up" if you connect from a local bus) and takes about an hour from downtown Burlington to St. Albans.

Alternaely of course you can board at Essex Junction, which is reachable Mon-Sat by the Essex Junction #2 bus from downtown Burlington. Mon-Fri you can catch the bus from Essex to Burlington after the northbound train arrives in the evening, but it's not possible (yet!) on weekends, but there CCTA is proposing 7 day service to Essex Jct, including adding later buses to allow connections from the northbound train. The fare is $1.25 and the bus runs every 15-30 mins midday, 30-60 mins later in the evening.

More info on the local bus is available at cctaride.org

Uber is another option in Burlington (a recent addition after being banned from the city), but steer clear of the local cabs especially if you want to make it to the train in time. I waited 2 hours for a cab at the Essex train station one Saturday, when I was told it would be waiting for me when the train arrived, then they wanted nearly $50 for the ride to Burlington. Uber gives an estimate of $21-$29 for the ride.

the_traveler said:

Be aware that the Port Kent to Burlington ferry does not operate year round. It stops I think in September and doesn't begin again until spring.

Click to expand...

One would think that they'd operate during the foliage season. That's a big tourist draw in October. Last trip, according to the website is September 27.

Even Amtrak usually adds the dome car onto the Adirondack from Albany to Montreal and back just for that

Palmetto said:

the_traveler said:

Be aware that the Port Kent to Burlington ferry does not operate year round. It stops I think in September and doesn't begin again until spring.

Click to expand...

One would think that they'd operate during the foliage season. That's a big tourist draw in October. Last trip, according to the website is September 27.

Click to expand...

Apparently tourist traffic is not enough to make ends meet on the Port Kent Ferry.