A mini train left its station at Zilker Park for the first time in five years Wednesday.
The new train — called the Zilker Eagle after its original name — features several improvements since it last ran in 2019. The train itself is decked out in pink and blue tie-dye, and the tracks have a new turnaround at Lou Neff Point with views of Austin’s skyline.
The train also boasts several safety upgrades. The on-ramp and train cars are wheelchair accessible and new lighting was installed in the final tunnel passengers go through before the end of the ride.
Joy Casnovsky, Austin Parks Foundation’s chief mission officer, said the opening follows a long road of unintended setbacks the nonprofit went through since 2020.
“I could definitely write a novel about everything,” Casnovsky said.
The Zilker train first opened as the Austin Eagle in 1961 and quickly became a beloved attraction in the city’s park system.
The train underwent several rounds of name and ownership changes over the years. It stopped running in May 2019, when heavy rain washed out the ground beneath some of the tracks.
Texas Special, the company that owned the train at the time, wanted a five-year contract renewal with the city to ensure it would bring in enough revenue to pay for the estimated $286,000 in repairs, KUT previously reported.
The city’s final offer to Texas Special was for only three years, per a Facebook post from the company. Texas Special subsequently declined and took its green mini train and tracks away.
After a unanimous City Council vote in 2020, the Austin Parks Foundation was called to bring the Zilker train back to life, unaware of the difficulties it would face finding a company that manufactures mini trains. When the new train did finally arrive, it required costly repairs that took the agency years to fix.
"It’s just kind of been one hurdle after the next. But we’ve gotten through them and we’re so excited about opening up to the public today,” Casnovsky said.
The train is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., weather permitting. Rides cost $6, with part of the fare going toward improving parks across the city.
Austinities can ride free every third Wednesday of the month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The free ride doesn’t apply to school field trips, daycare groups and birthday parties.
