Normal celebrates Train Day

Posted on May 9, 2015
Sally Heffernan at WJBC
Sally Heffernan (above) shows off a prize that will be given away at Saturday’s Train Day event. (WJBC file photo)

By Andy Dahn

NORMAL – Saturday marks the Town of Normal’s third Train Day celebration in the Uptown Amtrak Station.

The event will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and will include kids train rides, face painting and a variety of giveaways. Assistant City Manager Sally Heffernan said the event isn’t just for young fans of trains.

“There’s plenty of activities for all ages,” Heffernan said. “We have a lot of fun. It’s obviously a partnership with Amtrak and to promote passenger rail service, but the real purpose is to educate the public, especially kids, about train safety.”

Heffernan said residents need to think twice before taking pictures on local railroad tracks.

“Railroads get very upset when they see photographs that have been taken on train tracks,” Heffernan said. “Whether it’s a senior picture, a wedding picture, it’s just a bad idea. Even if you know there’s not a train coming, it’s not something that we should let people, especially children, think is a good idea.”

Along with activities and giveaways, the event will give residents a deeper look inside the busy Amtrak station.

“We are the second busiest Amtrak station in Illinois, second only to Union Station in Chicago,” Heffernan said. “We put through about 270,000 passengers a year and 10 trains a day. There are communities in the state that desperately want train service like we have.”

Local ticket agents and train conductors will be at the event to provide safety tips for being on and around trains.

Andy Dahn can be reached at [email protected].

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