National Train Day is May 9
To celebrate rail travel, “Trainiacs” are holding National Train Day on May 9. Railroads are energy efficient, using less energy to move each passenger than virtually any other mode of travel.
One hundred and forty years ago, on May 10, a “golden spike” was driven marking the first train connection all the way from the East Coast to the West Coast, just ten years into Oregon’s statehood. To celebrate rail travel, “Trainiacs” are holding National Train Day on May 9. Click here to learn more about “train love.”
This Saturday, May 9, 10:00-3:00, at Union Station in Portland, the World's Most Famous Steam Locomotive. "Daylight," will be on display. Rose Festival Clown Corps and "Two Sisters & a Mr." will perform. The event includes free refreshments and giveaways.
Why love trains?
The Amtrak Cascades, running from Eugene, Oregon to Vancouver, British Columbia, is a cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative to highway expansion. Rail transportation encourages efficient regional land use patterns, preserving downtown economies and easing the pressure to pour more concrete for roads or airport runways. Passenger rail produces far less global warming and air pollution per passenger mile than automobiles or airplanes. Railroads are also energy efficient, using less energy to move each passenger than virtually any other mode of travel.
Transportation legislation being debated in Salem will help support the Amtrak Cascades. HB 2001 would increase the custom plate fee from $25 to $50 per year to raise money for Oregon’s Passenger Rail Fund. State support for passenger rail is essential for leveraging the federal infrastructure investments President Obama recently announced.
