There is a certain happiness sighted when your bus comes along. It is of course a small specialized form of happiness and will never be a great thing.

-Richard Brautigan, The Old Bus

Saturday, May 3, 2008

National Train Day


Next Saturday -- May 10 -- is the first-ever National Train Day. The celebration honors the completion of the first transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869, in Promontory Summit, Utah, where the “golden spike” was driven into the final tie that joined 1,776 miles of the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railways. More info is available here.

At the Sacramento Amtrak Station, commemorative postcards, stickers and other giveaways will be handed out from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Organizers are also offering something called "light refreshments."

As part of the festivities, you can get into the California Rail Museum for free with either a Capitol Corridor ticket stub or a River Cats game ticket. Tickets for the Capitol Corridor, Pacific Surfliner or San Joaquins are 25 percent off on May 10. You have to purchase your ticket before May 7.

It's too bad that Sacramento Regional Transit doesn't appear to be participating. Does RT have a budget for promotion? Sure would be nice if people who arrive on light rail got at least $2 off the museum admission price.

More info on the local festivities is available here.

1 comment:

FLUBBER said...

a little known fact is that all capitol corridor riders receive a free transfer good for travel up to 1 day after train ride, on RT, Yolobus, Unitrans, San Jose VTA, eTrans, AC transit, etc.