VTrans details rail assets, bridge priorities and steps toward Vermonter extension to Montreal

Daniel Abbir, rail bureau director for the Vermont Agency of Transportation, told the House Transportation Committee on Jan. 22 that rail is “extremely important to the state of Vermont” and outlined the agency's rail assets, safety priorities and work on a long‑term passenger extension to Montreal.

Abbir said the state is the largest owner of railroad property in Vermont, with about 572 miles of active railroad in the state and 298 miles owned by VTrans. The state also holds 149 miles of rail property that have been rail‑banked and converted to trails. VTrans contracts freight operations on many state‑owned lines to Vermont Rail Systems (VRS), a short‑line operator that Abbir described as focusing on Vermont shippers and receivers.

The agency emphasized the freight role that rail plays for commodities such as road salt, feed, fuel oil, propane, stone products, lumber and grain for farmers. Abbir said about 150–200 railcars move through Vermont daily and that, without rail, the equivalent freight would add an estimated 600–800 tractor‑trailer trips per day to roads.

VTrans described its asset portfolio and inspection responsibilities: 172 rail bridges (subject to annual Federal Railroad Administration reporting), 422 public highway‑rail…