Preserving the Love

Feb. 8, 2016
It's refreshing to see the creative ways in which the next generation is being reached and warmed to transit.

One of my fondest memories from my first job back in high school was going to Trainfest in Milwaukee every November. I worked at a hobby store that sold a myriad of products, including model trains from Z to G gauge and wooden trains for the youngest of rail fans. It was two days our team got to work off site in a fast-paced and festive environment.

It was massive crowds of people at the event, with the majority falling into two categories: the rail fans that know every line of every rail system and the families with the kids that are enamored with trains.

This year was the first year I fell into one of those categories, having a son that spends hours on end playing with his wooden trains, shrieks every time he hears the sound of the freight train at a nearby crossing and would probably watch Thomas the Tank Engine 24 hours a day if we would let him.

So we were there, along with 25,000 others that were excited to see trains – more than 70 displays of operating scale railroads – in 230,000 square feet of space.

It almost felt surreal to be there, among the train love, in an area that has lost nearly 25 percent of public transit service in the region since the early 2000s and based on current funding projections, is anticipating a 22 percent additional decline in service.

For many of the kids at Trainfest, the only train they’ll be on is the tractor made to look like an engine that pulls along “cars” for the kids to sit on. And as they grow older, their interests go on to other things and they forget about the wonderment they once had.

We see a lot of agencies that do different types of outreach in the community to get kids on vehicles and on my Facebook page there are countless photos of my son sitting in the driver’s seat of various local transit buses. And, because of that, he shrieks, “BUS!” every time he sees one going down the street.

One of the programs that stood out was Bay Area Rapid Transit’s (BART) summer youth program, where this summer about 400 kids in grades K-12 had the chance to see various cultural destinations in the San Francisco Bay area, and ride BART to get there.

Not just getting on a bus or train, but the program gets kids to fun and exciting destinations and they equate public transportation to getting them there. The program is organized by staff from BART’s government and community relations departments and partners with local community groups. In addition to going to the zoo or museum, they also learn about BART, trains, public transportation, fare systems and schedules.

As this time of year rolls around, we also see your stories on the holiday trains, stuffed buses and other integral part of the holidays that public transportation providers are in their communities. Read more about BART’s program at http://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2015/news20150804