Amtrak plans to resume service in Vermont this summer Share Updated: 11:50 AM EDT Apr 8, 2021 Jake Cookson Share Updated: 11:50 AM EDT Apr 8, 2021 Jake Cookson Digital Media Manager Amtrak passenger rail and bus services are scheduled to resume in Vermont this summer after months of inactivity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A spokesperson with the Vermont Agency of Transportation announced Thursday both services are expected to return beginning July 19, "if the vaccination rate continues as expected." The tentative date is set nearly 15 months after Amtrak first suspended services in the state. Transportation authorities said the decision was made following Gov. Phil Scott's unveiling of a complete reopening plan this week. The three-step plan sets Independence Day as a benchmark for a complete reopening, with the expectation that a vast majority of residents age 16 or older will have been vaccinated for COVID-19. "We are very pleased to announce the restart of these vital transportation services for Vermonters and those who wish to travel to and from Vermont by train or bus," Vermont Transportation Secretary Joe Flynn said. Flynn had previously expressed his hopes to restore service by the end of 2020, however that plan was stymied by another surge in virus infections that prompted the state to further restrict its interstate travel policies. This summer, Amtrak plans to bring back both lines that service the state — "The Vermonter" and the "Ethan Allen Express," the latter of which serves as a line ending in New York City. It will also mark the return of two bus lines that service routes between Colchester or Manchester and Albany, New York. Those bus lines would typically allow travelers to connect with the "Adirondack," a daily train line that travels north to Montreal but remains halted due to the U.S.-Canada border closure. Click here for more information on planned Amtrak service schedules.