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Austin has named the new Zilker train the Zilker Eagle, after receiving more than 750 submissions of name suggestions and 7,000 votes from Austinites. (Austin Parks)
AUSTIN, TX – Austin has named the new Zilker train the Zilker Eagle, after receiving more than 750 submissions of name suggestions and 7,000 votes from Austinites, the Austin Parks Foundation announced.
The new name harkens back to its origins, as the first train to run the tracks at Zilker Park was the Eagle, which ran from 1961 to 1996.
The new logo for the train features a mid-century eagle with a colorful tie-dye design, paying homage to the adage Keep Austin Weird.
Austin 360
Bird s the word: Austin Parks Foundation has unveiled the name of the new train set to chug through Zilker Park. Austin voters chose the Zilker Eagle from 750 name submissions, the foundation announced Friday.
If the name sounds familiar, it s because the first train to run through the city-center park in 1961 also was named the Eagle. That train ran until 1996. The Zilker Eagle name has been reauthorized by the owners of the original train, according to the foundation.
Seven finalists were selected in the naming contest by a committee that included Austin Parks Foundation staff, foundation board of directors, community members and kids. The other finalist names were the Armadillo Express, the Bluebonnet Express, Edwina Justus (named after the first Black female engineer for Union Pacific Railroad), the Lady Bird Flyer, the Moontower Rambler and the Zilker Zanate.