Rutland - Burlington Train Service

	Beginning  this summer, Vermont Railway will extend last year's Middlebury (VT) - Burlington summer tourist train to Rutland. Vermont Railway and Leslie Otten, owner of Sugarbush ski resort a will operate the train with cars owned by Otten. It's hoped that this will attract summertime tourists to the Rutland area and give a boost to Vermont's efforts to bring Amtrak service to Rutland from Whitehall (NY).
	The state has already spend $1 million to upgrade the tracks between Rutland and Whitehall to meet Amtrak specifications. Vermont Gov. Howard Dean has pledged another $3.5 million to complete the upgrade.
	A further goal is for NYC metropolitan area skiers to access Vermont ski runs by train instead of highway, should the summer service be successful.
	Last year the Sugarbush Express carried 21,000 passengers running between Burlington and Middlebury. The plan is to make the run from Wednesday through Sunday, and to have the train available for charter other days. The round trip is about 125 miles.