Vermont rail group looks for buzz
Toolbox
By STEPHANIE M. PETERS STAFF WRITER - Published: November 21, 2009
Vermont Rail Action Network, the citizen advocacy group behind saving the city's passenger rail service earlier this year, on Friday launched a marketing campaign aimed at promoting the state's two Amtrak lines as fun, economically and environmentally friendly ways to travel.
The effort got off to a piercing start in the terminal of Burlington's Union Station on Friday evening – to the sounds of New York City-based tribute band Lez Zeppelin.
VRAN Executive Director Christopher Parker described the event as a way to capitalize on the worldwide "buzz and YouTube notoriety" surrounding concerts and dances in train stations, while also turning on younger Vermonters to the benefits of train service.
If enthusiasm for and ridership of Vermont's trains continues to grow, the once-abandoned, but recently revived, mission of extending Rutland's service to Burlington – creating a direct connection between New York City and the Vermont's own largest city – might not be such a far-out notion.
"More investment in Vermont's rail infrastructure is needed to speed up these lines and allow Rutland's 'Ethan Allen' train to be extended to Middlebury, Vergennes and Burlington, stopping downtown at the site of the concert," Parker wrote in an e-mail this week.
"This is really a chance to get the message out to this different demographic," he said during a phone interview Thursday. "It's also a kick-off, it's fun and it's a celebration. It's marketing our own investment and commitment to marketing rail."
The 8 p.m. concert was preceded by a 4 p.m. press conference at which Parker talked about some of the other initiatives on VRAN's to-do list — although he described it as more than the organization, which boasts 3,200 supporters, can undertake all at once.
In addition to more train station concerts — Rutland is "an obvious place" for another, Parker said — the group is working to provide guidance and support to startup local advocacy groups like Rutland's "Friends of Rutland Rail" around the state, continue its grassroots presence at community events like farmers' markets, organize a group of "train hosts" to greet and aid passengers both on the trains and in the stations, and build a Ethan Allen-specific Web site to highlight Rutland County's attractions.
Other plans to reach a younger demographic include making sure those colleges and universities without their own train stop are connected by bus service and staffing the schools with Amtrak volunteers.
Parker said he believes better marketing of the trains has already made a positive difference in train ridership. During the summer, Amtrak, Vermont Agency of Transportation and WCAX partnered to produce a series of television advertisements promoting the train; while one can't be certain, Parker said, he thinks those did have an effect.
During a Thursday meeting of the Vermont Rail Advisory Council, Parker said Rail Planning Coordinator Charlie Miller shared ridership statistics showing that the Ethan Allen was up 3.3 percent from last month, while the Vermonter saw a 1.9 percent increase. Parker said both trains were rising by a greater percentage before the recession. Nationally, however, statistics released by Amtrak earlier this month show ridership down 7.8 percent from last year.
"Vermont's bucking the trend in a good way," he said.
stephanie.peters@rutlandherald.com
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