May 7th, 2010
Public invited to National Train Day celebration

SUBMITTED REPORT

The San Marcos community is invited to celebrate “National Train Day” at 8 a.m. Saturday, May 8, with a special program and prizes at the San Marcos Station at 338 S. Guadalupe Street in San Marcos.

Mayor Susan Narvaiz and City Council members will be on hand to celebrate the third annual “National Train Day.” The event is timed to coincide with the departure of the Amtrak train from the station at 8:32 a.m.

“National Train Day celebrates America’s love for trains going back more than 140 years,” said Mayor Narvaiz. “Not only has the railroad helped build our community since the 1880s, we also see commuter rail as a significant part of our transportation future.”

The event will feature a proclamation by Mayor Narvaiz and free train whistles, bike maps, mall coupon books, and gift certificates for the purchase of train tickets.

The railroad first came to San Marcos in 1880 and helped build the city as a center for agriculture and commerce. Today San Marcos is a busy location for freight and Amtrak trains, with some 40 Union Pacific trains passing through the city each day.

The City of San Marcos has been an active participant in efforts to relocate freight rail to a new corridor east of the city and to initiate commuter rail service in the Austin-San Marcos- San Antonio region.

City Council Member John Thomaides serves as secretary for the Lone Star Rail District Board of Directors.

The local event is one of many celebrations across the United States that commemorate the 141st anniversary of the driving of the Golden Spike in Promontory Summit Utah in May, 1869 joining the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads and creating the first transcontinental railroad.

— FROM THE CITY OF SAN MARCOS/MELISSA MILLECAM