AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- The Zilker Eagle will once again wind its way through Zilker Park later this year - on a brand-new train all about "old Austin charm."
The Austin Parks Foundation made the announcement of the train's new name Friday. The Eagle is the same name of the first train that coursed through the park back in 1961 all the way through 1996.
The most recent train, the Zilker Zephyr, went out of commission in May 2019 when erosion impacted the train's tracks near the river. In the ensuing months, a contract dispute between the city and the Zephyr's operators led to the permanent removal of the Zephyr train and tracks in August 2020.
Some of the other names that were considered as finalists include the Armadillo Express, the Bluebonnet Express, the Lady Bird Flyer, the Moontower Rambler, and the Zilker Zanate (which is Spanish for grackle). There was also a push to name the train after Edwina Justus, the first Black female engineer for the Union Pacific Railroad.
The Austin Parks Foundation will operate the new train, which will be all-electric and ADA accessible - and is designed as a miniature replica of old-style passenger trains like the 1940s and 1950s-era Missouri Pacific Texas Eagle. Proceeds from the train will go back into the park.
Officials say they hope to have the new Eagle up and running by this fall.