[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6359520,"mediaKeyId","2177117-9a0a348156034822d982f03415f7295f","parentId",2177117,"title","Vermont Rail System outlines upgrades, freight growth opportunities and partnership with VTrans","audioSeconds",1509,"startMs",2620000,"endMs",4129000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2177117-9a0a348156034822d982f03415f7295f&start=2620&end=4129","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2177117-9a0a348156034822d982f03415f7295f/thumbnail_2620000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6359520/Vermont/Vermont-Rail-System-outlines-upgrades-freight-growth-opportunities-and-partnership-with-VTrans","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6359520-19f30b310ce9894df95e416a15150a70/orig.mp4?Expires=1775790190&Signature=mB7EySko052zP-fYWD5~GWob7fa9mCOs2Hf6gykJFapExBFNT~1Brana0NaEPtFI983XgNeXb0mFo~iasu~kwyKy5A5lCpMZEk5sXV0fJDSRyb8U1KuefgjxA5dr4yTlx65LDIN6ALdyj6d6Ru-45o79B9Nz3AVA~4Az2iWYR~QVwjJ0qUq5qnRHk~7vZ1e5VYV5THuuQqHvZ-A3owDBKx6NkZ1dUXbtqBS0FMY8F6xFQnAQMZzZ1bNTByUVElZ0s3ZDRTWgz6boALkGhzigW6k8lnOVb1~D-HUoEQWmPqnl3tSvNsjA-TQ6-bp4YHSSSk6p6ASCsMTO4XDLwO99fg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-01-31T15:11:06Z","article","Vermont Rail System officials told the House Transportation Committee on Jan. 31 that the company operates roughly 450 miles of track in the region, handles about 25,000 freight carloads a year and is pursuing grant‑funded upgrades to accommodate modern 286,000‑pound railcars on more lines.

“Basically, Vermont Rail System … we operate about 450 miles of railroad,” Salim Hohin, president of Vermont Rail System, told the committee. He summarized the system’s lines, recent acquisitions and the company’s role hosting Amtrak’s Ethan Allen service. “We handle about 25,000 carloads of freight a year,” Hohin said, and noted the company employs about 160 people, most of whom are Vermonters.

Hohin and other company representatives described a close working relationship with the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) and federal grant programs that fund capital projects on state‑owned rail infrastructure. They said a recently completed project between Rutland and Hoosick Junction restored several bridges and raised capacity to the 286,000‑pound standard on that segment; Hohin said about half the state’s lines are now 286k‑capable. The larger standard enables heavier freight cars and improves competitiveness against truck transport, he said.

Lawmakers and rail officials discussed transload and intermodal economics. Vermont Rail System said large intermodal terminals with high lift volumes (for example, Albany, Springfield and Montreal) draw much of the containerized traffic and make competing directly for intermodal trailer/container business difficult at smaller local terminals. The company said there is still potential for intermodal and transload growth on the Connecticut River Line (Newport to White River Junction) and that new transload facilities and upgraded infrastructure could attract more freight from trucks to rail.

Hohin described targeted business wins: one formerly small branch now handles about 800 cars a year by moving granite tailings for Great Lakes breakwater projects, an example the company uses to show how marketing and facility development can spur growth. He said the company is looking to make the Washington County and Connecticut River lines more competitive and is pursuing grants to fund welded rail and bridge upgrades that would support freight growth.

Committee members asked about operations, flood and emergency responses, passenger service and marketing. Hohin described partnerships with other regional rail operators to reroute traffic during work windows and emergencies; he cited a recent example moving traffic to Bellows Falls via Berkshire & Eastern (Genesee & Wyoming affiliate) to maintain service while work occurred elsewhere. He also confirmed the company hosts Amtrak service (Ethan Allen corridor) and operates seasonal tourist passenger trains and private rail‑car movements in coordination with Amtrak.

On workforce and economic development, Hohin said the company works with property the state owns along corridors to identify and develop transload or customer sites, and it markets the system with new system maps the company brings to customers. The company noted a desire to reconnect lines (for example, restoring connectivity in northern New Hampshire and St. Johnsbury) to access potential new traffic.

The committee did not vote on any measure. Vermont Rail System representatives invited lawmakers to inspect system operations and offered to provide maps and follow‑up materials on state‑owned rail assets and potential sites for transload or industrial development.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Transportation 2025-01-31 - 10:00 AM","oneSentenceSummary","Officials from Vermont Rail System briefed the House Transportation Committee on system coverage, recent bridge upgrades to meet 286,000‑pound car standards, intermodal constraints and growth opportunities along the Connecticut River Line and other corridors.","taxTitle","Transportation, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative , Vermont","taxId",35155,"location","Vermont","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6359525,"Vermont transportation officials report NEVI progress, highlight gaps and equity concerns in fast‑charging network",2502,77000,2579000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2177117-9a0a348156034822d982f03415f7295f&start=77&end=2579","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2177117-9a0a348156034822d982f03415f7295f/thumbnail_77000.jpg","/articles/6359525/Vermont/Vermont-transportation-officials-report-NEVI-progress-highlight-gaps-and-equity-concerns-in-fastcharging-network","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6359525-296e6d1d138b20e8eb63c03a24d86ff7/orig.mp4?Expires=1775790190&Signature=LJDPeGye08fJnakrYBjHNMgDFq6c0pilwB0zHY6tRbmIxfFHgzJU5CXaFTOAE7WY0bpFY8f07mnMyFzpdTjbRfxBSiQXuUbh3vQCZOrM7sTq7K2kTcayjr5caFXDQs1vbhqZo6g6CAkOTLACZh5jS6E9jrJof5w62utwJP-aP~tY7jbrfbSTYOS7rK-UCyaFg1lY6~5Oq3sF1XbVIxvQtZWriI8kb89q9zYpOq8sQRLh83iNx4jmn0czRVODrTheryMkq5Nqst4gVHeyD2NpMQBC~AoU6uu~MAinf-nJP7WUSE7gV-5EePwyCFnAPwsItFFFTI-LC6Pwzc~G4DLL5g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","State transportation officials on Jan. 31 told the House Transportation Committee that Vermont has begun deploying federally supported fast chargers under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program (NEVI), but that federal siting rules, limited funding and uneven access to home charging mean the state will need further investment to meet its climate goals.

Patrick Murphy, State Policy Director at the Agency of Transportation, said the state has awarded projects from its initial NEVI solicitations and is under contract for a subset of sites while preparing additional solicitations. “We built a list of 8 qualified providers in the spring into the summer of this past year,” Murphy said. “From that list, we chose projects in another solicitation for the 14 locations that had not been built out. We received, we awarded, 11 additional locations and we’re under contract for 6 at the moment.”

The NEVI rules limit federal funding to designated alternative‑fuel corridors and set minimum standards: sites generally must be within one mile of an exit, stations no more than 50 miles apart and a minimum of four charging “ports” per site, Murphy said. The state’s recent legislation tightened its own goals to bring chargers deeper into communities — aiming for closer walking distance to amenities — and to plan for sites beyond the NEVI minimums where demand or freight charging needs warrant it.

Murphy and Andrea Wright, who leads the agency’s environmental policy and sustainability work, told lawmakers the NEVI funds are intended as a down payment to catalyze a national network and trigger later private investment. Wright said battery and vehicle costs remain a top concern for Vermonters, but fast‑charging access is a close second. “EV charging investment is a critical piece of that,” she said, adding that 80–90% of charging happens at home, so equity concerns rise for drivers without reliable home charging.

The agency provided several program figures: the initial round of awards amounted to roughly $8–9 million that funded 62 ports; awarded NEVI projects are funded at an 80 percent federal share with a 20 percent private match; and the state’s analysis projects a scenario of roughly 126,000 plug‑in vehicles by 2030 if the state meets its climate goals. The agency said it used a modeling tool that assumes about 71 percent of Vermonters will have access to home charging in its baseline scenario — lower than the tool’s national default of 87 percent — and that lower home‑charging access would substantially increase public fast‑charging needs.

Lawmakers pressed officials on specific items: Representative Corcoran asked how pricing is set for vendor‑owned stations; Murphy said vendors must propose per‑kilowatt‑hour prices in their solicitations, display pricing transparently, and must submit proposed pricing changes to the agency for review. Representative Wood asked whether highway signage could be updated to indicate whether a site offers Level‑2 or Level‑3 charging; Wright said vendors are required to pay for highway signs and that the agency must follow MUTCD (Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices) rules, and she offered to follow up on whether sign panels can indicate charger level.

Committee members also asked about the pace of build‑out. Murphy and Wright said the NEVI program is one complement to other state and federal grants; the agency is preparing a new solicitation to expand sites and intends to use additional state and federal funds to reach locations outside designated corridors. Wright noted that one prebuilt site (Bradford) and other private chargers already exist, but NEVI sites aim to meet the federal minimums and provide greater redundancy.

Officials told the committee the state had planned a solicitation release the following week and that the NEVI funding under the current plan (about $8.5 million) was temporarily paused because of clarification requests tied to the change in federal administration; they said they were working to resolve that issue and would follow up with the committee.

The agency supplied a written EV charging report to the committee on Jan. 15 that includes maps, the NEVI plans, and the modeling assumptions. Murphy and Wright said they expect to return for additional testimony in about 30 days to provide further details and answers lawmakers requested.

Looking ahead, officials emphasized that NEVI‑funded fast charging is intended to seed a national backbone so private investment can add capacity and redundancy. “The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure was intended as a down payment,” Wright said. She added that siting choices also include seeking locations with nearby amenities so drivers can access services during charging and that the state is targeting no less than 150‑kilowatt stations for highway charging.

The committee did not take a formal vote on the NEVI projects during the hearing; officials described contract awards and solicitations already made by the Agency of Transportation and the Agency of Commerce and Community Development.","State transportation officials told the House Transportation Committee they have awarded NEVI‑funded fast‑charging sites and contracted providers, but federal corridor rules, limited funding and uneven home‑charging access leave gaps as the state plans for a projected increase in plug‑in vehicles by 2030.","actionData","errors"]

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Vermont Rail System outlines upgrades, freight growth opportunities and partnership with VTrans

Vermont transportation officials report NEVI progress, highlight gaps and equity concerns in fast‑charging network