Dec. 18, 2007, 9:09AMCHANGES AT HERMANN PARK
All the bells and whistles
A ritzy station, bigger seats, more stops. Wave goodbye until a new, improved train emerges in March.
By ALLAN TURNER
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle
The little Hermann Park train that chugged and tooted its way into children's hearts for half a century will come to the end of the line Jan. 1 as workers make final preparations for the March opening of an expanded multi-purpose miniature railroad.
The new rail line comes with a host of new bells and whistles — wider carriages capable of seating two adults, cars equipped to accommodate handicapped riders and three mini-stations to service museums and link to Metro's light rail system.
"Its primary role will be entertainment. That's still the number one reason for people getting on," said Doreen Stoller, executive director of Hermann Park Conservancy, which will operate the concession. But in its new incarnation, she said, the train can take riders to the museum district, and, through light rail connections, the Texas Medical Center and other destinations.
About 500,000 people ride the train annually, Stoller said.
Included in $15 million of improvements to the railroad and the plaza from which it departs are almost two miles of new or improved track. A redesigned Lake Plaza will feature a new train station, a restaurant, restrooms and extensive landscape redesigns.
The miniature train will depart from a temporary station near the Miller Outdoor Theatre parking lot until Lake Plaza opens in spring 2009, Stoller said.
The improvements are part of the second phase of the 93-year-old park's upgrades, expected to cost in excess of $45 million.
Phase two also will include new trails in a previously hard-to-reach 80-acre forested section of the park, improvements to the Houston Garden Center and Japanese Gardens, the addition of a dog park and extensive landscaping between Main Street's Mecom Fountain and the park entrance.
The first phase included the expansion of McGovern Lake, a redesign of the park's reflection pool and renovations of the plaza at Miller Outdoor Theatre.
Conservancy chairman Don Short said he believes the improvements, which will include gardens featuring plants reflecting diverse cultural groups in the city, will enhance Houston's image as a "green" city.
Hermann Park, at 455 acres, about half the size of New York's Central Park, could be an "icon to a greener Houston," he said. Many outsiders, he said, now perceive Houston as "a concrete jungle," in part because of its role as an international petroleum center.
Hermann Park's miniature gasoline-powered train has operated as a privately owned concession since 1957. The park conservancy, which oversees park management in conjunction with the city, assumed operation of the railroad in June.
Stoller estimated the railroad will earn $250,000 in profit annually. That sum, she said, will be reinvested into the park.
Train tickets will increase 25 cents to $2.50. Short said naming rights for the railroad's new rolling stock will be sold to raise additional revenue. Naming rights to locomotives will cost $250,000; for carriages, $150,000.
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