ST. ALBANS, Vt. — Genesee & Wyoming held a grand opening ceremony on Thursday for its American Rail Dispatching Center, from which the company dispatches movements on 100 railroads in 42 states.
G&W announced plans for the 10,000-square-foot facility early in 2022 [see “Plans set for new Genesee & Wyoming dispatching center,” Trains News Wire, Jan. 18, 2022]. It replaces an older facility in the same city and is part of a redevelopment of a long-vacant 5.5-acre property that once was home to a paper processing plant. The St. Albans Messenger reports a lengthy effort by several government agencies, at a cost of $3 million, was required to clean up toxic chemicals at the site.
“The investment unveiled today by G&W, the state of Vermont, and the City of St. Albans, in this new state of the art energy efficient building, will ensure a modern and efficient dispatching operation for decades ahead,” G&W CEO Jack Hellmann said, according to the Messenger.
The building houses a total of 62 people — 39 dispatchers, 18 crew callers, and five managers. The facility had opened in January but Thursday’s event officially marked the occasion.
— Updated at 6:40 p.m. to correct the number of people who work at the dispatching center.
Mr. Maguire, historical preservation?
So, what happens to the old dispatching center in the former Central Vermont office building in downtown St. Albans? It seemed to me that the dispatching center was the only thing in the building.