After almost 70 years, the passenger rail service is returning to the city of Burlington in Vermont. The New England city is getting a new daily passenger train connection directly from NYC, an initiative taking place for the first time since the 1950s.

The New Train

The new Amtrak Ethan Allen Express train is going to launch its service, connecting the cities of Vermont such as Burlington, Middlebury, and Vergennes. As per the Vermont Agency of Transportation, this rail connection marks the initiation of a regularly scheduled passenger rail service in the largest city of the state since 1953. Miro Weinberger, the Mayor of Burlington stated that through this train connection, anyone can start their journey from downtown Burlington and arrive in NYC before dinnertime! He also assured that this long-desired rail service is going to help boost the economic recovery of the state at a very critical time, alongside establishing a lower-carbon connection to the Amtrak system.

The Rail Service System

This new Amtrak train is going to depart from Burlington at 10:10 am each day and arrive at the Penn Station of NYC at 5:45 pm. The northbound train is going to leave Penn Station each day at 2:21 pm and arrive at 9:55 pm in Burlington. The fare for this new route will start at $75 per head. This is not the only new train route for Amtrak for this summer season. The famed company also has a plan to connect NYC and Pittsfield through a newly launched Berkshire Flyer Service. This new route will operate throughout the summer on weekends. Also, beyond Amtrak, there is another new rail connection service that is undergoing construction. Being funded as part of the Safety Improvements grant and a federal Consolidated Rail Infrastructure, this new rail line is going to connect Virginia and North Carolina with a modern high-speed train service.

As travel has become limited all over the world, people have started using their computers to “go out.” As exploring different locations through the internet becomes more and more popular, new virtual tours are being developed daily, and the latest one is that of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Narrated by the legendary Sir David Attenborough, the new tour reveals the amazing ecosystems of the reef for people across the globe.

The Great Barrier Reef Is Among the Most Complex Ecosystems in the World

The interactive journey of the Great Barrier Reef navigates virtual explorers through many breathtaking views, having the British historian David Attenborough as the guide. Online adventurers will receive useful and interesting information while observing stunning views, hundreds of species of coral, and more than 1,500 species of fish — all from the comfort of their own homes!

In an interview, Attenborough said that the reef is one of the most spectacular and complex ecosystems in the world, but that it’s also very fragile. During the introduction video, the historian explains how he dived the reef for the first time around 60 years ago, and it became a source of life-long fascination for him.

David Attenborough Shares Interesting Information About the Reef

During the tour of the reef, everything is explained to the viewer, from what the reef would sound like to the local fish to how coral grows. The effects that greenhouse gasses, such as carbon dioxide, have on the reef are also described and explained. Attenborough hopes that this virtual tour will raise awareness regarding the reef, its beauty, and the importance of preserving it.

The virtual tour comes with a map that shows viewers how many kilometers they’ve traveled through the reef. Knowing that it takes around 2,300 kilometers or around 1,400 miles of the Australian coastline, people should consider the fact that it’s more than twice as big as any other coral reef around the world. Certainly, the reef is the home of views that are worth experiencing, even from the comfortable couch at home.