Bowling Green Trolley takes a victory lap with inaugural tour

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) - Four and a half years of planning and coordination have made the Bowling Green Trolley idea a reality.

The Bowling Green Trolley took its first passengers on a tour of downtown Bowling Green and the Western Kentucky University campus this morning.

“This is the beginning of a consistent trolley experience in Bowling Green that has not existed in 100 years,” said Bobby Rabold, Board Member of the Historic Railpark and Train Museum.

The historic tour of the city will include landmarks and institutions like the National Corvette Museum and WKU along its hour-and-a-half route.

“We’ve got a lot of history in Bowling Green that many people in this town know nothing about, and we’re going to help them understand just what a valuable resource Bowling Green is,” Raybold said.

Today’s inaugural tour was a special presentation for individuals and organizations that helped make the trolley a success.

“We really wanted to have a special day to bring together all the people who played a major role in bringing the trolley here to Bowling Green,” said Jamie Johnson, Executive Director of the Historic Railpark and Train Museum. “It was very heartwarming to have all those people show up and be excited about taking that inaugural ride through Bowling Green.”

The organizers and donors that made the trolley possible hope that the trolley will support tourism and development in Bowling Green.

“We have 22 million people that pass Bowling Green each year on Interstate 65,” Raybold said. “We hope to pull thousands of those people to Bowling Green to take the historical tour.”

The increase in tourism brought by the trolley system will increase sales in the hospitality and retail industries while the revenue can be reinvested into infrastructure.

Trolley tours will officially begin in Spring 2023, but the trolley is available to rent for private tours and special occasions.

For more information, call the Historic Railpark and Train Museum at 270-745-7317.

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