Tourism Destinations and Learning
Experiences
Personalized
Travel Programs for families, schools and theme groups with environmental
training, visits to state of the art transit facilities and museums featuring
the history of rail and water transport.
Communities and Local Public Transport Initiatives
Americans and Italians are second to none in their love of the
automobile but in recent years efficient and affordable public transit - in the
form of bus rapid transit, subways, elevated and other rail services and
trolley cars – for urban, suburban and intercity service - have been debated, studied and in some
instances implemented.
Our US
itineraries include cities with
established commuter and regional service as well as communities that are
implementing new transit programs. An opportunity to meet with local planners
and managers as well as travel efficiently, safely and affordably as you visit
the United States.
Colorado
Springs is
renowned for its walkable historic areas, its commitment to sustainability and
its natural attractions and ample recreational opportunities in the nearby
Rocky Mountains. Activities range from family itineraries to
educational, cultural and a wide range of outdoor programs. Experience scenic
and historic train ride s aboard the Broadmoor's Manitou & Pikes Peak Cog
Railway, the Royal Gorge Route Railroad and Cripple Creek & Victor Narrow
Gauge Railroad. Colorado Springs’ first streetcar service was powered by horses; at
its peak, a total of 10 horse-drawn trolley cars operated in the city. In 1890,
the Colorado Springs Rapid Transit Railway began replacing the horse car lines
with electric power, a system that numbered 44 electric cars by 1900; at its
peak, the system covered 41 miles. In 1931, buses began replacing streetcars. Streetcar
service ended shortly thereafter.
Metropolitan
Portland’s
commuters and visitors have many options to get around in America’s best
pedestrian and transit-friendly city. Public transit is comprised of TriMet’s
regional bus network and the Metropolitan Area Express – MAX - light rail
system, which connects the city and suburbs while the WES Commuter Rail reaches
Portland's western suburbs. Portland Streetcar
connects shopping areas and dense residential districts north and northwest of
downtown as well as the east side of the Willamette River. The Portland Transit
Mall on Fifth and Sixth avenues limits automobile access in favor or bus and
light rail service. And Portland’s mainline steam locomotives can be seen
pulling excursion trains operated by the Oregon
Rail Heritage Foundation.
Hershey, PA From
Roads to Rails, travel back in time
as O-gauge trains chug through the idyllic Pennsylvania countryside and multiple
scenes reminiscent of the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. The Museum of Bus Transportation
has partnered with the Antique Auto Club
of America Museum to provide museum quality displays of the bus industry -
intercity, transit, and school - for the public. It also serves to showcase the industry’s
growth and development in the United States and celebrate the role that the bus
industry continues to play in mobility and progress of the American
public.
The Motorbus Industry Occupies a Vital Place in America’s
Everyday Life
In rural
areas and in the thousands of towns and cities across the nation, buses provide
personal transport, carrying more persons daily than all other public modes of
transportation put together. The evolution of this industry provides a
fascinating story of invention, entrepreneurship and the effort of thousands of
people risking their time and capital in the hope of creating a profitable
business.
The
Grapevine Vintage Railroad follows a scenic route to the Fort Worth Stockyards
along the Cotton Belt Railroad right-of-way. The service is a tourist
attraction due to its slow speeds. The Grapevine Rail also hosts one of the
community’s seven winery tasting rooms. A new train station downtown and north
of the airport are included in the proposed commuter route that follows
existing rail lines from downtown Fort Worth, northeast to downtown Grapevine
and then into the north entrance of Dallas-Fort Worth Airport. The route
connects with other transportation services, including the Trinity Railway
Express (TRE) commuter rail service, AMTRAK, and downtown bus transfer center
at the Fort Worth Intermodal Transportation Center as well as a connection to the
Dallas Dart Rail.
Bus The T – Fort Worth Transport Authority – provides
extensive service throughout the city and its cultural attractions.
Rail the TRE – Trinity Rail Express - connects Fort Worth and Dallas with
transfer access to DFW International Airport.
Air DFW is only 17.5 miles from downtown Fort Worth via bus, rail or taxi
service. From here, you can reach any major city in the U.S. in less than four
hours.
Walking is a wonderful way to experience the
city’ entertainment districts and the Trinity Trails.
Bike Sharing: Bike sharing is an
inexpensive, healthy and environmentally friendly way to get around Fort Worth.
Pick up a bike at any of the 40 docking stations.
In Italy, today’s frecce (arrow) high speed intercity rail
service is a direct descendant of a long established commuter service dating
back to the mid-19th century as evidenced by the National
Railway Museum of Pietrarsa, located alongside the Naples-Portici
railway line, the first one in Italy. Originally known as “Pietra Bianca”
(white stone), it was renamed Pietrarsa
(burnt stone) after the eruption of the Vesuvius in 1631. The Museum is a
journey through time among the locomotives and trains that united Italy from
1839 to modern times, spanning nearly two centuries of Italian railway history.
It is housed in what was originally the old Bourbon dynasty workshops where
steam machines for ships and boilers for locomotives were built. Today’s Naples
area commuters are serviced by a modern underground rail network, the city’s
famed funicolare and suburban rails such as the electrically powered, 142 km
(88 mi) six line, 96 stations Circumvesuviana.
Water Resources Management and the Environment
Visit and
study the efforts of communities that are in the forefront of water resources
management and other environmentally sustainable practices in coastal and river
waterfront development in small towns and large cities as well as agricultural
communities. Local officials and nonprofit stewards of the environment, among
others, will explain their policies, programs and best management practices in
wastewater and watershed management, land conservancy issues, LEED
certifications, recycling, rainwater collection and energy efficient systems.
In Montgomery County, Maryland Experience
Rain Garden Training, a hands-on rain garden building class
at a pre-dug site. After reviewing the criteria for siting and sizing rain gardens, participants determine and finish the
grading, install the soil media, build the berm, plant and mulch the garden.
You can also learn the complex
procedures that govern the building, watershed and renewable energy permitting
process.
Some
communities have been in the forefront of land conservation, historic
preservation and the arts movements that celebrates land and landscapes and
water resources management initiatives:
In the Lehigh Valley, the local culture draws from the Moravian
settlements experience in which all men were equal; a broad cultural
environment in which music, art, education and religious tolerance flourished,
as evidenced by the communal dwellings, churches and industrial structures
still present.
The Brandywine Valley has focused on Development
& Conservancy Issues, including floodplain
areas that threaten to devastate water supplies in parts of the Delaware River
Valley. Local residents initiated conservation easements that now protect five
and one-half miles along the Brandywine River.
In the city
of Philadelphia, the waterfront
is now a 6 mile walking and biking destination. Trail features include streetscape improvements along
the entire waterfront trail, a bi-directional bikeway, pedestrian walkway
and rain gardens that collect the first inch of storm water, relieving the city
sewer system during major weather events, as well as benches, bike racks,
decorative street pavers and innovative solar trail lighting. Center City
offers a thriving culture and entertainment scene as well as a contemporary
arts museum with training
programs and study tours for students, aspiring artists and families.
Dallas is the first ISO
14001 certified city in the US - the
international environmental standard which sets environmental goals for
organizations and communities – and among the first to adopt a green building
program that now boasts 5 LEED Gold, 1 LEED-EB Silver and 2 certified
buildings. New projects in the city include pedestrian-friendly parks such as
Main Street Garden, Belo Garden and the Klyde Warren Park. Dallas also is home
to the Trinity River Audubon Center, a LEED certified building with many
sustainable features: a vegetated roof, rainwater collection system, energy
efficient systems and recycled materials.
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