National Train Day at St. Louis Union Station

ST. LOUIS - March 12, 2014 - PRLog -- St. Louis Union Station will come back to life on May 10^th, 2014. Celebrating National Train Day in conjunction with the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis (“TRRA”), Union Station will host an event that marks several milestones for the city in 2014, including St. Louis’ 250^th birthday, the 125^th anniversary of the founding of the TRRA, 120 years since the opening of Union Station downtown, and 110 years since the 1904 World’s Fair.

National Train Day was started in 2008 by Amtrak with the goal of showing the general public that trains are still important in the world today. It is celebrated all over the country at several major cities such as Chicago, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles. The date, May 10^th, was chosen to commemorate the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. The famous Golden Spike was hammered in at Promontory Point, Utah on May 10^th, 1869. The St. Louis Union Station was initially built in 1894 by the TRRA. It operated until October 31^st, 1978, when the last train departed at 9:00 a.m. In addition to the historic value, National Train Day is a celebration of the revival of travel via railway. More information on National Train Day can be found on nationaltrainday.com.

The event will host a variety of activities such as interactive train equipment and a train excursion. Visitors will be able to take a walk through history this weekend at St. Louis Union Station, and see reenactments of the 1904 World’s Fair. A fantastic 3D show will play in the Union Station Hotel’s Grand Hall. Attendees can also enjoy a wide array of foods that made their debut back in 1904 while listening to local entertainment. Children’s activities, VP Fair parade floats, and more will finish this one of a kind experience. Events will begin at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 10^th, 2014, held outdoors, and indoors in the Midway, Grand Hall, and Shopping Center. All events are free and open to the public.

St. Louis Union Station, purchased by Lodging Hospitality Management in October of 2012, is currently undergoing a reinvention. The Midway, already completed, no longer houses shop fronts, but is open and offers an astounding 30,000 square feet of versatile event and meeting space. At the project’s finish, the facility will boast over 100,000 square feet of meeting space. In addition to the new space, the guest rooms will be remodeled with a fresh, comfortable look that compliments the historic property. The Grand Hall will be the home of a 70 foot bar and a spectacular, one-of-a-kind holographic light/music show created by Technomedia, the same company that recently completed Michael Jackson’s Cirque du Soleil.