Thanks to the work of transportation activists, the trip to and from Brattleboro to Springfield, Massachusetts on Amtrak recently got 27 percent faster. The train stops in Greenfield, Northampton, and Holyoke on its way to New York City. It now takes one hour and 34 minutes, down from two hours and nine minutes. On March 11, Christopher Parker of the Vermont Rail Action Network told the Valley Post that his group is working to make the trip from New York City to Holyoke, Northampton, Greenfield, and Brattleboro 15 minutes faster by persuading Amtrak to eliminate the current wait in Springfield.

Another group that worked for the recent victory is the National Association of Railroad Passengers. Both groups are working to reduce fares. This can be done by raising taxes on millionaires. Traveling by train rather than by car helps reduce climate change, which the world's leading scientists say is a major threat to earth's ability to support human life.

The trip from the Valley to New York City on Amtrak is set to get at least 35 minutes faster in January 2018, according to:

www.nhhsrail.com/objectives/expanded_network.aspx

Last month, the head of the Massachusetts transportation agency said she expects that in early 2017 she will dramatically increase the number of daily passenger trains that travel between Greenfield and Springfield via Northampton and Holyoke.

There are frequent buses between Amherst and Northampton, and between Springfield and Boston, that make those trips as quickly as a car. Amtrak between Springfield and Boston is much slower than driving, unless highway traffic is bad. Between Keene and Brattleboro, Greyhound is as fast as driving. The fare is $6.