AUSTIN (KXAN) — The beloved green train, the Zilker Zephyr, is saying goodbye after 22 years of serving the patrons of Zilker Park, according to a post on its Facebook page.
The train was forced to shut down in 2019 due to erosion along the river caused by heavy rain. The group behind the train began working with the Austin Parks and Recreation Department to get the train back on track.
According to the Zephyr’s Facebook post, the contract with the Parks and Recreation Department ends before the repair project can be completed. A five-year extension to the contract was requested, but in according to the post in December, the park director made a “final offer” of a guaranteed three-year extension with two one-year options.
The group behind the train said they decided to turn down the offer because three years would not match the financial investment needed for the repairs.
“While our decision to turn down the offer was not taken lightly, we had to take into consideration that ultimately it would not have been a good business decision for us. Due to the amount of money we had projected we would have to invest for the repair – we understood only a contract with a guaranteed five years would make financial sense for our level of investment,” Zilker Zephyr said in its Facebook post.
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