Taking the train

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The Blue Arrow train runs on most Saturday evenings throughout the summer. (submitted photo)
The Blue Arrow train runs on most Saturday evenings throughout the summer. (submitted photo)

By Holly Kline

Summertime activities are in full swing; plan to add a unique adventure by taking a train ride. The Indiana Transportation Museum (ITM) operates several trains across 38 miles of track and provides many opportunities to ride the rails from Fishers to various locations in and around Hamilton County.

The Hoosierland train runs every Saturday and Sunday through November 26 and departs at 12:45 p.m. from 11600 Municipal Drive in Fishers. Passengers can ride to Forest Park in Noblesville or to Downtown Noblesville on the Square. Take a few hours to visit the park or shop and dine at the Square; the return train leaves Forest Park at 2:45 and the Square at 2:55.

The Blue Arrow train service runs on most Saturday evenings throughout the summer and is designed to be a fun dining experience. From the Municipal Drive stop in Fishers, passengers can ride to the towns of Noblesville, Atlanta or Tipton and a variety of restaurants are available near the stops. There is time to eat and possibly sightsee before the train returns everyone to Fishers. Usual boarding times are around 4:30 p.m. with a return time of around 9:30 p.m.

Customers can buy tickets online at ww.itm.org or at some of the stations. Dinner is not included in the Blue Arrow ticket prices and online reservations are recommended for that experience.

According to John Johnson of the Indiana Transportation Museum, train rides equal financial benefits for Fishers. “37,000 people rode the [ITM] trains in 2013 and 28,000 of those people boarded in downtown Fishers,” said Johnson. He went on to explain that a recent economic study showed a large percentage of train passengers spent money in Fishers.

The FairTrain is another popular ITM event that takes passengers from Fishers to the Indiana State Fair. The FairTrain runs from August 1 – 18. “My family took the fair train last summer,” said Fishers resident Kara Haven. “It was very convenient and nice to not have to worry about parking there.”

Amy Borzymowski of Fishers has also used the FairTrain. “Our boys ages 3 and 6 think the ride is super exciting and talk about it for days after we have ridden,” she said.

Ticket prices, information on special events and additional train rides connected to summer festivals can be found at www.itm.org


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