If you’re coming to Ohio for RailNation: Toledo in October, make sure you include Friday in your plans. That’s because we’ve got an incredibly fun and informative day planned for all attendees at the historic MLK Plaza train hall above today’s Toledo Amtrak station, and if you miss Friday, you’ll be missing out on a lot!
There are still a few finishing touches to add, but beginning Friday morning you’ll be able to try out Amtrak’s locomotive simulator, see demonstrations by Amtrak Police and their K9 unit, and visit with Amtrak government affairs and project leaders to talk about anything that’s on your mind. As part of that display, we’ll have Amtrak leaders working on the long-distance Superliner replacement procurement on hand to hear your thoughts and ideas, as well as to offer updates on where the project stands. We’re also working on a few more potential exhibits and displays.
TARTA, Toledo’s transit agency, has exciting plans, too, and is ready to show them off in an exhibit about their new bus rapid transit project and efforts to build a multimodal transit hub right nearby. They’ll be bringing virtual reality equipment to help you see and experience what hasn’t been built yet - plus they will be bringing groups of people throughout the event to tour their current facilities.
And, thanks to TARTA, we’ll have a shuttle running directly from the conference hotel to the train station, making it easy for you to experience this mini-exhibition.
If you have already registered for the conference, your entry to the “science fair” is included and you are good to go. There will be a $20 fee for those locally who want to just come for the day (but you MUST register by September 18th).
We’ll also continue the tradition of kicking off RailNation with “Ale Nation,” hosted in Toledo by our friends at Toledo Spirits. This is a capacity-controlled event due to the size of the space, so you have to get in on it soon if you want to attend (the $35 ticket includes light apps and a signature drink created by our own Joe Aiello). All Aboard Ohio’s Mitch Radakovich will be there to co-host and talk about big advances in local advocacy.
The hotel knows a lot of our folks will be coming on the train, so they’re suggesting attendees consider booking a Thursday arrival and a Sunday departure.
It sounds like marketing hype, but it’s not. From me to you, you’re going to regret missing any of these great activities, and I hope you’ll take advantage of this heads-up to be sure you’re able to attend.
Can't wait! Booked and will be there travelling round trip to Toledo from from Los Angeles via Amtrak!