DrToadley OP t1_j6l9dvh wrote on January 31, 2023 at 2:58 AM

Reply to comment by SkiingAway in My proposal for near-future inter-town/city passenger rail expansions in Vermont! (MAP) by DrToadley

Very well-reasoned and realistic thinking. I do believe with the right frequency and really good branding, buses could be more successful in Vermont, which could bring more trains.

Really, I believe what it comes down to is that I think Vermont needs to start seriously building lots and lots of high-density housing in its cities and major town centers NOW. No more single-family housing - way too cost-ineffective and bad for the environment. The state is uniquely situated to be far ahead of the curve on the climate crisis, and if it had ample housing, it could see both a huge population and economic boom with tons of benefits for all of its current residents. Then, connect it all via trains - boom, now we've maintained all of the state's natural beauty and made it more livable while everywhere else will be struggling (although they could do the same thing...). This I do believe to be the real pipe dream, though.

SkiingAway t1_j6llqiq wrote on January 31, 2023 at 4:41 AM

I think "high-density" is a bridge too far for VT, but larger areas of "medium-density" is perfectly realistic and arguably the only real solution to VT's housing crisis. The local downtown is not going to be harmed by a couple more blocks of 3-6 story buildings....like the ones that are already in the part of the downtown area as it is.

They're also the only places in VT that typically have the utilities in place to really support significant amounts of housing.

And yes - having more people living in town centers also makes transit as normal transportation choice more viable. "Last-mile" is a big issue otherwise.

DrToadley OP t1_j6lm39n wrote on January 31, 2023 at 4:44 AM

"High-density" in the context of VT, haha. Agreed on all counts.