Leavenworth Train Service Begins!

The City  Leavenworth WA announced today that we will once again be a destination stop for Amtrak’s  Empire Builder’s route on the train service between Chicago, IL and Seattle, WA!  The inaugural run begins Friday, September 25th, 2009.
The festivities begin at King Street Station in  Seattle  3:15-4:15pm  with music and speeches from local dignitaries involved in the process of bringing train service to Leavenworth.
At 4:45 the Leavenworth dignitaries and their guests will depart King Street station and travel over the Cascade range arriving in Leavenworth at 8:12 PM.
In Leavenworth, there will be music and food starting at 7pm at the Icicle Station platform on North road.  State Senator Linda Evans Parlette will give the opening remarks and will perform the ribbon cutting ceremony with Leavenworth Mayor Rob Eaton.
The addition of a Leavenworth station is the first in many years and more than 8 years of effort and partnership building have been diligently tended to by the City of Leavenworth, Amtrak, BNSF and funding agencies.
“We have been working for some time with our partners at Amtrak and BSNF Railway to make Icicle Station and the return of rail passenger service to our community a reality. Our community has a long history with railroads and train service and we are truly thrilled to welcome Amtrak to Leavenworth and have the ability to offer passenger service to both our residents and our visitors,” said Leavenworth’s Mayor Rob Eaton.
Partners in the project include the Port of Chelan County, Chelan County Commissioners, Senator Linda Evans Parlette, U.S. Senator Patty Murray, Projekt Bayern and the Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce along with Amtrak and BNSF Railways.
“This is an exciting day for Leavenworth and a big step forward in showcasing one of Washington State’s best destinations. Bringing Amtrak to Leavenworth is going to help create local jobs, build their tourism industry, and make travel more convenient for local residents,” said Senator Murray. “I’m proud to have worked to provide federal funding that helped Leavenworth build Icicle Station and open their community to new visitors and economic opportunity.”
Regular service to Leavenworth begins September 26 and tickets can be purchased starting today via Amtrak.com