Lovers of Burlington’s Waterfront

We support the return of a passenger rail to Union Station, but adding a second spur/rail to the Burlington Waterfront district is contradictory to everything the City and its citizens have worked to revitalize the waterfront over the past two decades. A second spur would create unsafe pedestrian issues, major stormwater run-off challenges, and detract from the significant investment the City of Burlington has made in the redevelopment of its waterfront into a tourist attraction and point of natural beauty overlooking Lake Champlain by putting a “wall of steel” between King and the College Streets. A new spur could be added to the McNeil Generating Station just one block south, which would be better for all—and where train storage belongs. If trains are stored and serviced in the proposed waterfront location, they would be parked within several feet of residential buildings and create air and noise pollution for businesses and residents adjacent to this location. We love trains and rail access, but servicing and storage of trains on Burlington’s Waterfront Park area is not in the best interest of our community - or visitors to our beautiful City for decades to come.

Lovers of Burlington’s Waterfront, do you really want to see a second rail line on the waterfront?