MONTPELIER – Concerns about the long-term impact of eliminating the Ethan Allen Express have cemented the Vermont Rail Advisory Council's opposition to proposed cuts in Amtrak service.

Vermont would have to wait perhaps a decade for new rail equipment if the state opts this year to eliminate the Albany-to-Rutland train route, an aide to Sen. Bernard Sanders told the rail council Wednesday.

And the president of Vermont Railways said the train's prime timeslot on Canadian Pacific Railway's privately owned track also could be in jeopardy if Vermont proceeds with the cuts.

"The consequences of (cutting Amtrak) … is if we want it back we wouldn't get it for 10 or more years," Sanders aide Jeff Munger said. "I think somebody ought to think about what it is they're doing here. Within an hour that equipment will be gone. And if we cut it with the hopes of getting it back in four to five years, it's not going to happen."

The Douglas administration has proposed eliminating the train route and replacing it with an Amtrak-operated bus service.

Robert Ide, head of the rail division at the Agency of Transportation, said the agency would restore the train service at a later date, and extend the route from Rutland to Burlington.

But David Allaire, president of the Rutland City Board of Alderman and member of the rail council, said Vermont should not pit short-term financial savings against the future of an important economic engine.

Not only should Vermont retain western-corridor train service, Allaire said Wednesday, it ought to embark this construction season on the rail improvements needed to make a Rutland-to-Burlington train a reality.

"It's time to turn the argument around and instead of talking about cutting service, we need to make a positive move and forge ahead with the upgrade of that rail," Allaire said.

Other rail council members expressed frustration over the agency's continued insistence on the Amtrak cuts despite the council's 9-1 vote against the plan.

"(The agency) ponies us up when they're looking for cover on a decision, saying we're a citizen advisory group that offers input on these kinds of decisions," said council member Rick Moulton. "But when we oppose this plan they're just ignoring us. And our concerns are valid ones, because the plan essentially kills the western corridor Amtrak train for 10 years."

peter.hirschfeld@rutlandherald.com