The Best NYC to Burlington Option: My Amtrak Ethan Allen Express Review
In July 2022, Amtrak’s Ethan Allen Express route extended to Burlington, Vermont. This added three new stations in Middlebury, Vergennes, and Burlington.
It connected Burlington to New York City by passenger rail for the first time since 1953. I have been a direct beneficiary of this.
I grew up just outside of Burlington. In 2019, I moved to New York City for college. Since it opened, it has become by far my favorite option to get from New York to Vermont.
In this article, I’ll give a firsthand account of the train, which I’ve taken probably a dozen times.
I’ll give you tips on everything from booking to boarding and compare it to other options, from flying to the Vermonter Amtrak route.
Let’s get into it.
Booking Experience
Let’s start with booking your train ticket. Amtrak’s website kinda sucks. But in particular, there’s one key thing to watch out for.
When you put in Burlington, Vermont, you’ll see several options: Make sure you select Burlington Union Station (BTN).
Burlington Downtown Transit Center is a bus station. It’ll give you route options, but you want the train. Essex Junction, VT, a town near Burlington, is the stop for the Vermonter train, which I’ll talk about later. Then there’s the airport, which again has a few bus connections but no trains, so there’s no need for it.
From there, the rest of the booking experience is simple.
I like that Amtrak’s price is actually the full price. There are a few attempted upsells, like trip insurance (I never get it), as well as a refundable price option (I also pass on this).
If you’re traveling with more than one person, don’t be confused if it looks expensive. It lists the total price, not the price per ticket.
Once you’ve booked, I recommend the app. That’s the easiest way to get updates, and they scan your ticket as a QR code once you’re on the train.
Boarding Experience: Moynihan Train Hall
Moynihan Train Hall opened in 2021, and it has also been a huge upgrade to the Amtrak experience.
It feels much more like a new airport in terms of food options.
You have many food options, coffee, snacks, books, and anything else you’d find at an airport post-security.
Ticketed Passenger Area
If you want somewhere to sit, you can go in the ticketed passenger area. There are many screens that announce when trains start boarding. This area it’s nothing special, and if there are lots of train delays it overflows.
The boarding usually begins 10 minutes before departure. Once they announce it, you walk down the escalator.
Amtrak also sent me a text and email when boarding began.
I usually plan on getting there 30 minutes before the train leaves, and this is more than enough time. If you live life on the edge, you show up ten minutes before departure.
Seats + Comfort
Okay look, there’s no doubt that Europe kicks the shit out of the U.S. when it comes to train travel. However I think from a comfort perspective, a slow Amtrak train in coach is as nice as any European train, even if it goes one-third the speed.
Ample Leg Room and Wide Seats
Coach seats on Amtrak aren’t assigned, so you can sit wherever you want. If you’re getting on in Burlington, I can almost guarantee you’ll have your own seat. If you’re getting on in New York or somewhere before Albany, you may not. However, once you pass Albany, check and see if you can move to an empty row, if you don’t have your own already. Of course, New York to Albany is a popular, often sold-out route.
Outlets
There are two outlets on the window seat. However, sometimes they’re spaced out weird, so check your seat beforehand if you can.
The outlets are reliable, which is a huge plus to Amtrak over flying in general.
Baggage Policy
You can basically bring as much luggage as you have. I would say if you can carry it yourself, nobody is going to ask any questions.
Technically, you’re allowed two full-size luggage bags, and there is a ton of overhead space.
Wifi
Wifi on Amtrak is a tricky thing. Here’s the intel: it depends on whether Verizon has service or not, but Amtrak’s wifi comes through Verizon.
The good news is the wifi on this route has improved a lot. Many times it will be slow, and north of Rutland and can be spotty, but it’s pretty good. It’s better than the Vermonter Amtrak route.
Even at its best, it’s suitable for email and docs, but not for video calls.
I have done video calls through my hotspot, though, so there is decent service most of the trip.
The Views and The Joys of Train Travel
When I take the train, it feels to me like an adventure. I’m not rushed, I’ve got my cozy seat. I can write and read a look out the window.
It feels to me like working in coffee shops, so I don’t mind that the train goes so slow. Especially in the fall, this train has some of the best views in the northeast, as Vermont’s leaves turn bright orange and red.
The Train Turns Around in Rutland
The Ethan Allen Express trains have engines on both sides. Keep this in mind, depending on what views you want to get. If you get on in New York and you’re facing the rear, you’ll face the front once you get to Rutland, and vice versa.
The west side of the train will have views of the Hudson River from Albany down to New York.
The Cafe Car + Food Options
The cafe car food is about the quality of airline food. It’s packaged and microwaved, so like airline food, it’s nothing special. They have hot Starbucks coffee, though. I often get a decaf coffee, which is instant, but I still love it.
I prefer to bring my own food.
What is special is the cafe car itself. It has tables that you can sit in and enjoy the views. However, you’re only allowed to sit here while you eat.
The Route: Slow in Vermont, Fast Below Albany
If you’re leaving from New York, you’ll be in Albany in about two and a half hours. By distance, that’s about halfway. You may think this trip is moving.
But the Vermont portion is much slower. That’s because a lot of this is recently renovated track from old freight train lines.
Frequency: Only 1 Train Per Day
Right now, the Ethan Allen Express only runs once per day in each direction. From Burlington, it leaves at 9:50am and arrives at 5:24pm. From New York, it leaves at 2:19pm and arrives at 9:50pm.
It’s nice that you don’t have any crazy early mornings or late nights. However, one train per day isn’t ideal. Don’t miss it. Otherwise, you’re going to have to wait for the next day.
Ethan Allen Express vs Flying vs Driving from New York to Burlington
Now let’s see how the Ethan Allen Express stacks up against other options.
This route is the perfect example of how passenger rail, even non-high-speed rail, can be way better than flying and driving. It’s a model of something we can replicate in other parts of the country.
From timing to cost to comfort, let’s break down how it compares.
Total Timing (Not Just Travel Time!)
At a “as the crow flies” distance of 275 miles, it’s one of those routes that feels too long to drive but too short to fly.
On paper, the train is the slowest.
As of April 2025, the Ethan Allen Express travel time is 7 hours and 31 minutes, whereas a flight is about 1 hour and 22 minutes, with options for all three NYC airports. The drive varies, but it’s about 6 hours.
As I wrote in my article on Amtrak vs Flying, this is not the full story. With the train, you can show up 15 minutes before it leaves. (Or less, if you live dangerously.) Second, getting to all three of New York’s airports is a pain. The Amtrak leaves from Penn Station. Of course, this varies based on where you’re coming from, but generally it’ll be easier to get to Penn Station than any of the airports. For me it takes over an hour to get to JFK, about 50 minutes to LaGuardia, and 90 minutes to get to Newark. Penn Station is 39 minutes from where I live in the Bronx.
Meanwhile, if you drive, you have to consider traffic, which is horrendous in the New York City area. If you’re going into Manhattan, that traffic could add hours.
On-Time Performance and Reliability
It’s not just the time or the total time, it’s also the reliability. Can you depend on the train being on time? Let’s get into the numbers, because many Amtrak routes have terrible on-time performance.
Fortunately, the Ethan Allen Express has a pretty good on-time performance.
Through the first three months of 2025, it has a median delay of two minutes. This means, for all the trips, the typical outcome is a two-minute delay. Five times from Jan-March it was delayed from Burlington to New York by more than 30 minutes. The worst delay was 1 hour and 26 minutes.
Mine has sometimes arrived early in Burlington.
(I collected this data with the useful Amtrak status maps archive database.)
Compare this to the on-time performance of flights going to NYC from Burlington.
Compare this to the on-time performance of flights going to NYC from Burlington. Using federal data, I looked up United flights from Burlington to Newark in the same time period. The daily flight had four delays over 30 minutes… but three of them were over three hours, likely due to weather.
With flying, you’re more at the mercy of weather, but otherwise, the on-time performance is similar. On the train, you’re unlikely to be delayed more than an hour. Flying, you could be waiting for hours.
As for driving… well, god bless your soul going through NYC traffic. You know how reliable that can be.
Costs: Don’t Forget Airport Transportation and Baggage
The train on most days will be significantly cheaper.
If you buy your Amtrak ticket ahead of time, it’s usually $65. Even the week before this is usually true. But the Amtrak price goes up for busier travel days. Keep in mind that Burlington is a college town, so around school breaks and holidays, that train can fill up and get more expensive.
A typical flight on an ordinary weekday from New York to Burlington is around $130, or double the price. Flying too will cost more on holidays and busy travel days.
As for driving, renting a car will be at least double, plus gas, so unless you’re going with a group, it’ll be more expensive
Only if you have your own car could it cost less, and then don’t forget about the costs of parking in NYC.
Those are just the ticket costs, though. With Amtrak, you get two big bags free. They don’t check, so you could get away with more. If you’re checking bags when flying, you’ll spend just as much on that as the entire Amtrak flight.
Second, getting to Newark and JFK cost more than $2.90 subway swipe. JFK has a $8.50 AirTrain charge and even the cheapest way to get to Newark Airport at least a PATH train and a local bus. But if you take a direct bus, you’re looking at around $20.
Wherever you are in New York, it costs to $2.90 to take public transit to Penn Station. Good deal. When I lived on the Lower East Side, I got there for free thanks to my Citi Bike membership.
Comfort
Amtrak definitely wins here.
Let’s talk about driving first: you have to do the driving and be focused. I know some people don’t mind long car rides. I prefer to avoid them. I hate the stiff-leg feeling, holding in pee, needing to stay focused unless I want to die.
Amtrak has much wider seats, outlets, wifi, and a freaking cafe car. From a pure comfort perspective, there’s no doubt it’s better than flying, especially those tiny planes that they often use on short flights.
When I put all of this together, it’s more comfortable, it’s cheaper, and the timing is comparable
Environmental Impact
The train is much better for the environment. I’ve broken this down further in this article on Amtrak vs flying.
The most environmentally destructive part of flying is takeoff and landing. This makes short flights, per mile, the worst ones. So choosing the train is much better than short flights.
The Ethan Allen Express is electric up to Albany, then it switches to diesel. Overall, though, it’s much better than this short flight.
Long drives and the gas it guzzles to move just one person also don’t compare.
Service Frequency + Schedule Options
This one is a knock on the train. As mentioned, there’s only one a day. If you need a flight, usually you have a few options at different times of day with various airlines. And of course, you can always rent a car from New York.
Amtrak Vermonter vs Ethan Allen Express: Which is Best for You?
Before the Ethan Allen Express opened, the option to get to the Burlington area on train was the Amtrak Vermonter train, which goes from Washington D.C. to St. Albans, VT.
The Onboard Experience is The Same
Same legroom, same outlets, same cafe car menu. The only difference is the wifi on the Vermonter is worse.
The Ethan Allen Express is Faster
While the Ethan Allen Express makes it from New York to Burlington in 7 hours and 31 minutes, the Vermonter takes 8 hours and 41 minutes. The closest stop to Burlington is Essex Junction, which is in the same metro area.
They Have a Different Route
The Ethan Allen Express goes through Albany and the Vermonter goes through Hartford.
This means if your final destination is, say, Stowe, then the Vermonter makes more sense. The Ethan Allen Express has no stops near Stowe, but the Vermonter stops in Waterbury, the town over.
But if your final stop is Middlebury, then you’ll want the Ethan Allen Express, which stops there.
The same goes for the other direction too. If your final stop is Southern Connecticut, the Vermonter stops in Stamford, but if it’s Yonkers, then you’ll want the Ethan Allen Express.
I take the Vermonter more than the Ethan Allen Express because my girlfriend’s family lives near Hartford.
We often visit her family on the way to my family, so that’s an example where it makes sense to use the Vermonter train, even though it’s slower overall.
The Vermonter Has Worse On-Time Performance
Since it starts in D.C., it has more opportunities to get delayed if there are issues along the Northeast corridor, which sadly are common. So it could be delayed leaving New York. But the Ethan Allen Express starts in New York, so it’s much more likely to leave NYC on time.
All things equal, the Ethan Allen Express is the better choice, but it’s worth checking the Vermonter depending on your final destination.
Recent Improvements to The Ethan Allen Express
Even since it’s extension to Burlington, it has gotten faster. As Amtrak announced in 2024, they have shaved 10 minutes off the route by improving the track from Burlington to Rutland.
This Train Route Shows The Power of State-Supported Passenger Rail
This route has been a success, outpacing ridership expectations in 2023 and 2024.
I am a personal example of someone who this benefits: it’s cheaper and more convenient for me to visit my family in Vermont.
I have written about this to death, but no form of transportation makes a profit on its own without government support. Driving requires the roads, flying requires the airport, and trains, too, have always and will continue to require support.
Vermont has invested in this because it’s good for Vermonters, plain and simple. Even selfishly for the state of Vermont, better train service means more visitors, which means more money for the state and its businesses.
Future Plans for The Ethan Allen Express Route: Expansion to Manchester?
In 2024, the Vermont Agency of Transportation was set to receive a small federal grant thanks to the Biden administration to study an expansion of the route to Bennington and Manchester.
However, with the Trump administration’s questionably legal freeze on funding he doesn’t like, this won’t happen in the next four years.
While Republicans have often threatened to kill or cut funding from Amtrak, it has always survived because Amtrak serves rural, red states that get left behind by private airlines. Republican members of Congress in states Amtrak serves, unsurprisingly, want it.
But the Trump administration has shown a renewed hostility toward passenger rail. This isn’t the space for this, and I do wish it could be non-partisan because more and better transportation options is good for everyone, regardless of where you live and how you voted.
Even from a financial perspective, it’s a better deal than expanding highways, for reasons I’ve explored here.
Yet, it’s clear that in the future, if you want to see more and better Amtrak service in Vermont, vote in politicians who will fight for it and vote out those who are going out of their way to try and kill it.
Where to Stay in Vermont
This totally depends on the type of vibe you’re going for. Since this trains arrives to Burlington late, I’d check out somewhere you can stay in the small city at least the first night.
If you want walkability and access to Church Street (our pedestrian-only street that’s the heart of Burlington), then stay downtown somewhere near this pin.
My Favorite Amtrak Ride: Long-Distance Roomettes!
If you’re exploring more of the Amtrak network, I recommend checking out the “sleeper” options for the long-distance routes. Check out my review of my first-class Amtrak ride to Chicago.
Questions? Chime in Below
My comment section is open! If you have any questions about this Amtrak route, let me know. These questions will help me improve the article over time.
Hi David any suggestions I want to visit Vermont during Christmas where to stay suggestions and Walk from my hotel to like a Christmas market?
Hi Nichole. Near Church St in Burlington is the classic option. There are many hotels nearby. It’s a pedestrian-only main street.
Thank you David so much ! sincerely nichole
Is business class worth the upgrade?
No, not really, unless you really like hanging out in the Cafe Car. With business class, you can be there even if you’re not eating. You also get a free beverage. But it’s not worth it if you want a comfier seat.