Historic Number of Communities Celebrate National Train Day

Yesterday more than 300 communities across the country celebrated Why Trains Matter at the annual celebration National Train Day.

From Albuquerque, N.M, to Longview, Texas, and even New York City, the seventh National Train Day was the largest in history!

“Trains have long been important to the growth and prosperity of our nation,” says Amtrak CEO Joe Boardman, “and on National Train Day Amtrak supports our national economy and connectivity by moving America where it wants to go. ”

On National Train Day families, friends and first-time riders celebrated the unique nature of train travel, which is a vital transportation alternative that is cost-effective, environmentally friendly and in high public demand.

This year’s popular National Train Day comes at a historic time for Amtrak. In September, we achieved our highest ridership numbers in company history, carrying approximately 31.6 million passengers in fiscal year 2013.

During that same time, state-supported corridor services grew to a new record of 15.4 million passengers. In addition, all long distance routes combined had the best ridership in 20 years with 4.8 million passengers.

With the help of partners, including Disney Junior’s Chuggington, Dovetail Games and Operation Lifesaver, National Train Day events were true community activities. They offered free entertainment for kids, a special BOGO offer for future passengers and even exclusive excursion train rides.

When communities celebrated Why Trains Matter yesterday, they celebrated the fact that trains connect rural communities with major metropolitan areas and more than 500 destinations – an option that has become increasingly important as airline and bus companies reduce service to significant regions of America.

 

Where did you spend National Train Day? Tell us your favorite part in the comments below!