50 Wine Train riders step off in St. Helena

By John Lindblom
For the Register

After 30 years of wrangling over whether Napa Valley Wine Train should allow passengers to disembark in St. Helena, the first passengers finally touched St. Helena soil on Friday night.

The train ran a special car from Napa for the Cheers! event the St. Helena business community is throwing on the first Friday of each month.

The train will continue to bring passengers to St. Helena on a trial basis, and then both train operators and city leaders will determine whether to expand efforts.

In past years, the two sides have clashed before the California Public Utilities Commission and the California Supreme Court over what agency governs the railroad and whether the train could let passengers off in town.

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