Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad adds new Saturday train with Akron departures for bicyclists, hikers
From Akron Beacon Journal
By Bob Downing
A second Bike Aboard!/Hike Aboard! train with two Akron departures will begin new Saturday service into the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
The added train is exclusively for Bike Aboard! or Hike Aboard! passengers.
It will depart from Akron’s Northside Station at 11:30 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. It will depart from the Brecksville Station at 8:55 a.m. and 12:50 p.m.
The added service that starts on Saturday is due to the popularity of the train service for bicyclists and hikers.
Existing train service is “most challenged for capacity on Saturdays,” said Craig Tallman, president and CEO of the tourist railroad.
The added service will be available on Saturdays through Sept. 3 and will help the railroad “balance the flow of participants throughout the day utilizing two trains,” he said.
The current Bike Aboard! service is offered Wednesday through Sunday.
That includes three departures from Akron at 10:50 a.m., 2:45 and 6:15 p.m. and from Rockside Road in Independence at 9 a.m., 12:55 and 4:35 p.m.
The Bike Aboard! program enables cyclists to board the train with their bikes in a baggage car. They then ride the train to the other end, get off, retrieve their bikes and pedal back to the starting point via the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail. The fee is $3.
It is a very popular program that attracts about 22,000 passengers annually, Tallman said.
The new train service is supported by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
“This is a welcome addition to an already successful program that is helping attract new attention and energy to Akron and providing incentives to talented people who are making the city their home,” said Kyle Kutucheif, Knight Foundation program director for Akron.
