CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — The Autumn Colors Express will return to West Virginia’s New River Gorge country this fall, traveling between Huntington and Hinton with a stop in Charleston, officials said.
The train rides in restored vintage passenger cars proved popular during the October 2019 debut season, but they were canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Now officials are planning for another busy season.
“Demand for this event is at an all-time high,” Adam Auxier, CEO of Rail Excursion Management Co., told The Charleston Gazette-Mail.
Train cars travel through a 53-mile section of New River Gorge National Park and Preserve and passengers see sights including sheer cliffs, waterfalls and abandoned mining towns.
This year’s excursions will be operated in partnership with Amtrak, Explore Summers County, Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society, Kentucky Stream Heritage Corp., Railroading Heritage of Midwest America and the C&O Historical Society, the newspaper reported.
