American Rail Dispatching Center

St. Albans, Vermont, has been home to the longest-running rail dispatch operation in the United States since the 1860s, when New England Central Railroad’s (NECR) building on Federal Street was constructed. The American Rail Dispatching Center (ARDC) in its current form was established in that same building in 2001 – with four dispatchers covering two railroads. Today, both the NECR and ARDC are part of the Genesee & Wyoming family of railroads, and ARDC has expanded to serve as the 24/7/365 dispatching hub for 100 G&W short line and regional railroads across 42 U.S. states and three Canadian provinces.

From this quiet corner of Vermont, 39 dispatchers, 18 crew callers and five managers control the movement of our trains across the North American freight-rail network. Among the ARDC’s daily responsibilities are giving authority for safe main line movement of trains and maintenance of way; issuing restrictions; communicating with field workers regarding any potential emergencies, including weather; and fielding all emergency calls from railroaders and the public.