Zilker Zephyr Train Temporarily Grounded Following Storms

AUSTIN, TX — Given recent heavy rains that caused land erosion, the Zilker Zephyr miniature locomotive at Zilker Park has been rendered the little train that could not. It's been grounded until further notice, park officials recently announced.

Among the most popular family attractions at the bucolic park, the Zilker Zephyr has been at a standstill since May 6 after heavy, flood-inducing storms pounded the area. The storms reportedly eroded parts of the trail upon which the little train chugs, and fencing now surrounds the Zephyr to indicate the standstill and accentuate its current inertia.

"Due to the erosion from the recent rains, the Zephyr is temporarily closed," the train's operators wrote Tuesday on Facebook. "We will update this post when we have more information on re-opening."

It's the second time in a week that train operators have alerted to the grounding. It's unclear if the train has run between those closures following a May 6 alert the train was halted because of erosion.

Normally running Monday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the train lures multitudes forking out $2 for kids' admission and $3 for adults as they board the Zephyr just across from Barton Springs Pool for a 20- to 25-minute ride around the park, with views of Barton Creek and Lady Bird Lake along the way.

Recent rains wreaked havoc on area parks, including the Barton Creek Greenbelt that closed temporarily amid resulting erosion before being reopened on Monday. In reopening the trails there, parks officials urged visitors to exercise caution given remaining slick and muddy conditions at the site following the storms.

Mother Nature can be unforgiving in its wrath. But the temporary grounding of the Zilker Zephyr...well, that may be the unkindest cut of all. Stay tuned for news of its reopening.

The first alert of the Zilker Zephyr's closing: