(The Houston Chronicle published the following story by Richard Steward on its website on August 28.)
HOUSTON — Galveston-bound tourists once again can leave their cars and traffic snarls on the mainland over the Labor Day weekend and ride the rails instead.
A special holiday excursion train called the Texas Gulfliner is adding Alvin to its route, making two round trips each day on Saturday, Sunday and Monday between Galveston and the Brazoria County town that started life as a railroad stop. As it did last Labor Day and during Mardi Gras, the four-car Amtrak charter train will also make two round trips on each of the three days between League City and Galveston.
“What we’re trying to do is reduce the pollution and congestion on the causeway,” said Alvin City Manager Paul Horn. “And it’s a lot of fun.”
Like many who ride the Gulfliner, Horn plans to take his first trip on a modern passenger railroad Saturday. He and hundreds of others will board the train at Alvin’s 1907 Santa Fe railroad depot.
The city has recently restored the outside of the old depot at 119 E. Willis St. in downtown Alvin. There are plans to convert the interior into a railroad museum that will be a smaller version of Galveston’s railroad museum.
Although 38 freight trains a day roll through Alvin, “This will be the first passenger service in Alvin since 1967,” he said.
Once, rail travel was so common that 20 trains a day traveled between Houston and Galveston alone. Regular passenger service between Galveston and the mainland ended 36 years ago.
The excursion trains are part of the Galveston Intelligent Transportation System Demonstration Project. The project is backed mainly by a $750,000 federal grant.
The League City terminus of the excursions will be at Perkins Station, 100 Perkins at Main (Highway 518) in League City. There are long-term plans to convert that station into a restaurant and entertainment area with an old-West theme.
Round-trip tickets for the trips are $16 for adults and $8 for children ages 15 and younger and people 65 and older. Advance tickets can be purchased via telephone at 1-877-GAL-RAIL (1-877-425-7245), online at www.texasgulfliner.com or at the Alvin City Manager’s office at City Hall.
Some tickets may also be available on a walk-up basis, said Barry Goodman, president of the Houston-based transportation consulting company that is overseeing the project.
The trip from League City takes about an hour and the trip from Alvin takes about 75 minutes.
“Everybody has a good time,” Goodman said.
Food and drink service is available on the train. It’s a decidedly family-friendly trip, with no alcohol allowed. Passengers also can’t bring food or drinks on board, although each passenger can have one carry-on bag.
After waving at the drivers in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the auto causeways as they traverse the older bridge with its arches and drawbridge, passengers will arrive at Galveston’s Railroad Museum at 25th Street and The Strand.
From there, passengers can visit the museum’s collection, wander through the historic Strand District or take public transportation to other Galveston sites, Goodman said. Streetcars can take visitors to the beachfront and there are buses to Moody Gardens, he said.
“The nice thing is that they won’t have to bother to find places to park,” he said.
The demonstration project plans to offer excursion trains during at least two more high-traffic weekends and perhaps to develop more regular passenger rail traffic in the area.
“Our passenger routes used to continue on up into Houston, going up through the southern part of town right where the light rail system will soon be,” Alvin’s Paul Hale said. “We’d like to see commuter service link up our area with Houston again.”
It’s an idea that has long been considered, Goodman said. “People in The Woodlands, Kingwood, Katy or Sugar Land might prefer riding the railroad into Houston each day instead of fighting the traffic on the freeways.”