GLEN JEAN, W.Va. – The classic country song “New River Train” could be the theme song for a group of volunteers who are participating in a program to promote regional tourism while riding Amtrak along the New River between Montgomery and Hinton.
They are with the New River Gorge National Park and Reserve and started the rides in early October. They have learned that many passengers from all around the country are not aware of the nation’s newest national park.
Jacki Wright is one of a dozen volunteers, and she said it’s a great time interacting with visitors, as well as seeing the New River Gorge from the train.
“It is fun riding the train with visitors who normally might have never visited our park, but are truly excited to see the New River Gorge area,” she said.
Some start their day at Glen Jean and get shuttled to Montgomery where they board the Amtrak Cardinal, then ride the roughly two hours to Hinton where they disembark and are taken back to Glen Jean.
Others, most of whom are also associated with the Collis P. Huntington Railroad Historical Society, board in Huntington or Charleston and ride to White Sulphur Springs or Clifton Forge, VA, then back to Huntington. It makes for a longer day, six to eight hours with a layover in either White Sulphur Springs or Clifton Forge.
They are not just volunteers with NRGNPP, but also with the nationwide Trails&Rails program, a partnership between the National Park Service and Amtrak that started over 25 years ago.
To become part of the program, Wright and others had to also complete two short online classes on Interpretation and Railroad Safety, learn information about the park, especially park features visible outside the train windows, and ride the train to watch a more experienced volunteer.
For more information on becoming a part of that tradition, and other volunteer opportunities in the park, contact NRGNPP Coordinator Adrienne Jenkins at [email protected] or by calling (304) 465-2634. For more information about Trails&Rails go to nps.gov/subjects/amtraktrailsandrails/index.htm Additional information about NRGNPP can be found at nps.gov/neri and by following on social media.
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