Membership 
Buy Tickets Ride the New Electric Train!
New Electric Train Moves the Greenest Zoo in America® Closer to Goal to be NetZero
Starting tonight, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden visitors will have the opportunity to ride the Zoo’s new electric train and chug through the extra bright light tunnel that’s part of the 40th annual PNC Festival of Lights. The new train will save the Zoo about $35,000 on fuel and maintenance costs annually and will get it closer to its goal to be NetZero by 2025.
Photos | Video | Thane Maynard narrated Video
“While we are sad (for sentimental reasons) to say goodbye to our classic, diesel-fueled train, we are excited to make the switch to a sustainable, lower maintenance, electric train,” said Cincinnati Zoo director Thane Maynard. “The solar panels that visitors park under are basically powering the train. It charges overnight and during loading and unloading, so it’s always ready to take passengers for a fun ride.”
The cars offer more leg room for visitors and are a little wider than they were on the old train. It’s also a different color – GREEN!
“As the Greenest Zoo in America®, we thought it would be fitting to have a green train,” said Maynard. “The change makes it more obvious that it’s new and different and brings more attention to the Zoo’s sustainability efforts.”
The Zoo opens at 10 a.m. and closes at 9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays during PNC Festival of Lights, and the North Polar Express Train, sponsored by Superior Credit Union, starts running daily at 2:30 p.m. Members may visit any time and ride the train as many times as they like, another perk that makes membership “worth your wild”! Memberships are on sale now!