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Essex Junction council directs staff to pursue $3M federal grant to upgrade train and bus station; city match expected
Summary
Council authorized staff to pursue a federal grant obligation to fund station improvements; the project carries a $3.0 million federal allocation and a city match of roughly $750,000, reduced to about $550,000 after a Vermont grant. Councilors emphasized multimodal and aesthetic benefits.
The Essex Junction City Council directed staff to pursue federal grant obligation paperwork needed to secure a $3 million congressional allocation for improvements to the city’s train and bus station, including a proposed canopy, circulation changes and pedestrian/bicycle access upgrades.
Chris, the project presenter, said Amtrak is leading the station platform and ADA ramp work and the federal funds in question are a congressionally directed spending allocation that would support an overhead shelter and access improvements around the existing building. “The main components…focus on an overhead canopy and access and circulation changes,” Chris said, adding the design team had sought lower-impact, more affordable options than a full enclosed canopy originally proposed in the 2016 scoping study.
Project financing: staff said the federal allocation is $3,000,000 and that the city must provide a local match of $750,000. The city also received a $200,000 Vermont Downtown Transportation Fund grant that reduces the net local contribution to about $550,000. The council discussed the scale of the investment and whether the public benefit justifies local funds. Councilor Elaine cited ridership figures: “In 2023 the annual ridership was 16,001,” she said; staff later provided an FY25 ridership figure of 17,817.
Council discussion touched on ownership (railroad/Amtrak/NECR) and local interest in multimodal access, safety and economic development. Several councilors and trustees said the downtown and the station area would benefit from a functional, visible station that supports transit connections. One councilor asked whether the investment primarily benefits the railroad; others said improved public infrastructure would serve local riders and the broader downtown.
After discussion, a councilor moved and the council seconded a motion directing staff to pursue the federal grant obligation and continue preliminary engineering with the consultant Michael Baker International; the motion passed on a voice vote.
Next steps: staff will complete required federal documentation, secure outstanding materials from the freight railroad NECR for the grant submittal, and return to council with updates. If the federal obligation is accepted, council will consider funding the local match in its capital plan.
Note: the federal grant obligation is not yet executed; staff said they are at the stage of confirming supporting documents with the Federal Railroad Administration and NECR.
