With the final route selection on the Boston Montreal high speed rail study due out in the fall and increased ridership on the Amtrak Vermonter things are looking very positive for the return of a cross border connection. An overview of the project is available here. http://rail.vermont.gov/sites/railroads/files/documents/Boston-Montreal%20HSR%20Study%20Overview.pdf Here is the latest article on the subject. Officials laud local increase in Amtrak Vermonter ridership, paving the way for future rail projects.  By Chris Lindahl at gazettenet.com NORTHAMPTON —  Local ridership of the Amtrak Vermonter has increased by more than half since it was rerouted to Northampton and Greenfield in January, which officials say helps make the case for increased state and federal investment in rail. From January to May 2014, 5,870 passengers used the now-closed Amtrak station in Amherst. During that same period this year, 7,014 passengers used the Northampton station and 2,820 used the one

VIA Rail Renaissance  Trains The Canadian Government is set to invest C$102.5m ($77.6m) over the next two years to improve the safety and efficiency of passenger operations on the Ottawa-Montreal rail corridor. The announcement was made by Canadian Transport Minister Lisa Raitt and Via Rail president and CEO Yves Desjardins-Siciliano. The investment will support several infrastructure projects which aim to increase the reliability of the service by reducing delays for users. "This investment will keep our rail transportation system safe and efficient for Via's Rail customers." The funding follows Canada Prime Minister Stephen Harper's C$5.8bn ($4.4bn) announcement for infrastructure investments in November last year. Following completion of these projects, travel time between Ottawa and Montreal will improve as these infrastructure improvements will reduce delays. Over the next two years, these infrastructure projects are expected to create more than 2,