Amtrak is back. At least in Vermont. The first post-COVID (?) passenger train rolled through Montpelier Junction Monday morning, heading for Washington, DC, and was greeted by hundreds of rail enthusiasts. Passengers with reservations and $1 tickets for short hops in the state boarded and disembarked from earlier stops. And there was music, free creemees, and a dose of railroad history.
Top: Tim Donovan and his granddaughter, Neala, were in the front row, ready to ride. Below, everybody loved the train, but it looked like it needed some help from the infrastructure bill; Montpelier Mayor Anne Watson; Paul Palmer from O & J’s Sweet Treats in Jericho takes an order; and passengers waiting to embark.