Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), applauded the Rail Excursion Management Co. announcement that they will be running their new Autumn Colors Express from Huntington, West Virginia to Hinton, West Virginia from October 25-27, 2019.
The Autumn Colors Express will continue the 50 year tradition of the Railroad Days Festival, where passengers travel roundtrip in vintage trains. This announcement comes after Collis P. Huntington Railroad Historical Society, Inc. announced that they would have to discontinue the operation of their New River Train earlier this year due to regulation and funding issues.
“I applaud Adam Auxier and Rail Excursion Management Co. on their decision to continue the 50 year tradition of the New River train and the Railroad Days festival in October. The trip from Huntington to Hinton in the fall truly showcases the beauty of West Virginia and brings joy and revenue to our state,” said Senator Manchin. “For over a year, I have been working hard to make sure this annual festival would continue, first advocating for Amtrak to end their crushing regulations and fees to try to save Collis P. Huntington and then working with Amtrak and Rail Excursion Management to keep this West Virginia tradition alive. I look forward to the new Autumn Colors Express and will always support the Railroad Days festival however I can.”
“We are very excited to showcase the beautiful New River Gorge in its fall colors to our passengers. I hope they enjoy their journey on these lovingly preserved railcars on their trip to Hinton,” said Adam Auxier, CEO of Rail Excursion Management Co.
“The return of the train this fall means so much to the city of Hinton and its residents. The annual Railroad Days festival has brought thousands of people to our town over the years; our local nonprofits operate food and vending tents that in turn provide scholarships to so many of our local students. We’re overjoyed that this tradition can keep going year after year,” said Cris Meadows, Hinton City Manager.
