The Fort Worth Park & Recreation division has given the operators of the beloved miniature train in Forest and Trinity Parks more time to get the attraction back on track, a release says.
Forest Park Rides Inc., A Haltom City company, has been operating this miniature train ride in the parks near the Fort Worth Zoo since 1958. But, due to equipment issues, the train has not operated since March 2022.
This iconic ride takes passengers on a 5-mile round trip that begins in Forest Park, crosses the Trinity River, and enters Trinity Park. The train turns around near the Lancaster Bridge, then returns to its starting point on Colonial Parkway. Due to its popularity, City Parks & Rec staff encouraged Forest Park Rides to repair the train so it can run again.
But lack of progress over the past year caused the City to issue a notice of default to the contractor last October. The contract allows 60 days to address contractual breaches. Upon request from the operator, the deadline was previously extended to March 27.
But, due to longer than expected wait times for equipment repairs and material delivery, the deadline to resume train operations has been extended. One material delay is the purchase of 1,000 new railroad ties, which have an eight- to ten-week delivery time because of a backlog with lumber purchases. They will be used to reinforce and replace old ties.
The operator has shared photos of refurbished train cars and engines, as well as an itemized list of expenses already incurred to get the train back on track.
After reviewing the new request and documents, the City staff was satisfied with the vendor’s progress and recommended an additional extension, said Dave Lewis, interim director of the Park & Recreation Department.
The new extended deadline for the train to be fully operational and provide all required documentation is June 30.
