Tickets for Game-Day Express, the Regional Transportation Authority’s (RTA) Music City Star train service to Riverfront Station for all Tennessee Titans’ home games, are now on sale at area ticket outlets for the upcoming 2010 NFL season.

Tickets are available at Lebanon City Hall, Lebanon Chamber of Commerce, Mt. Juliet City Hall, Music City Central, the Donelson Hermitage Chamber of Commerce and Riverfront Station.  Tickets also may be purchased online.

The service is available for regular season home games, beginning with the Sept. 12 game against the Oakland Raiders.

The RTA will run one Music City Star train on game days.  Cost is $15 for an advance single-game ticket, $20 for a game-day purchase on the train or $110 for a season ticket.  Season tickets are available through Wednesday, Sept. 1.  By purchasing a season ticket, fans save 45 percent off of the price of a ticket purchased on the train on game days.  Parking is free at all of the outlying stations.  Please note that regular weekday Music City Star tickets are not valid on the Game-Day Express train.

For noon games, the Music City Star operates the schedule listed below:

• Depart from Lebanon Station   10 a.m.
• Depart from Martha Station   10:15 a.m.
• Depart from Mt. Juliet Station  10:25 a.m.
• Depart from Hermitage Station  10:35 a.m.
• Depart from Donelson Station  10:50 a.m.
• Arrive at Riverfront Station   11 a.m.

The return train to Lebanon leaves Riverfront Station 45 minutes after the game.

For the Thursday, Dec. 9 game, the train departs Lebanon Station at 3:55 p.m.

Passengers are welcome to tailgate at the outlying train stations prior to the game and also may tailgate on the train.  In addition, they may bring small coolers onboard and leave them on the train upon arrival at Riverfront Station.

Game-Day Express tickets also are available at the following locations:

• Online at www.musiccitystar.org (credit card only)
• By phone at (615) 862-5950 (MasterCard and Visa accepted)
• By mail to the RTA office, 130 Nestor St., Nashville  37210 (Send check or money order only; Please include two phone numbers with area codes and a complete address where the tickets should be sent.)
• Game day on the train (cash only)

A handling fee of $2.50 ($5 for certified mail) will be applied to all mail, phone and online orders.

More information about Game-Day Express service as well as an electronic version of the new Game-Day Express brochure is available online at musiccitystar.org.  For additional information, contact Customer Care at (615) 862-5950 weekdays from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) will once again operate a special Music City Star train on Sunday, July 4 from Lebanon to downtown Nashville for the Music City fireworks at Riverfront Park in Nashville.

"Last year's train to the Riverfront celebration was a success. All 900 tickets sold out quickly, and passengers on board were very complimentary of the service," RTA CEO Paul J. Ballard said. "I actually rode the train in from Lebanon that day, and it was an enjoyable ride. The crew did a fantastic job. We are looking forward to welcoming everyone back on board this year."

The train is scheduled to depart from the Lebanon Station at 4 p.m., stop in Martha at 4:13 p.m., Mt. Juliet at 4:24 p.m., Hermitage at 4:33 p.m., Donelson at 4:44 p.m. and arrive at Nashville's Riverfront Station at 5 p.m. The return train to Lebanon leaves 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Nashville fireworks.

An allotment of 900 tickets will be available to the general public and cost $10 for a round-trip ticket. Parking is free at all of the outlying stations.

Customers will receive only one ticket for the round-trip and will need to show the ticket to the conductor when boarding on both trips. Children age four and under will not need a ticket to board; however, they will be required to sit in their parent's lap. Weekday Music City Star tickets and passes are not accepted on the July 4th train.

Tickets are available for purchase online at musiccitystar.org or nashvillemta.org with a credit card, over the phone by calling 615-880-1535 on Thursday, June 10, or at Music City Central (400 Charlotte Ave.).

Online tickets will be on sale until noon on Sunday, June 27 or until they are sold out, whichever comes first. Tickets will not be for sale July 4th on the platforms.

Any items that will not fit underneath the seat, such as large coolers, bikes and wagons, are not permitted on the train. Backpacks and folding chairs will be allowed on board.

For more information, contact Customer Care at 615-862-5950 from 6:30 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. on weekdays, 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturdays and from 10:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. on Sundays, or visit the Music City Star website at musiccitystar.org.

PHOTO BY BRENT AND MARILYNN.

The Metropolitan Transit Authority and Regional Transportation Authority have suspended all bus and train services for Monday (May 3) due to sever flooding on a large number of roads in Davidson County and other nearby counties, including Wilson.

AccessRide customers who have booked reservations for Monday will need to have the trips rescheduled until the buses and vans can resume their regular schedules. The Nashville MTA facilities on Nestor Street have been the victim of flooding. The facilities are located on the banks of the Cumberland River.

The RTA's regional bus services from outlying areas will not operate on Monday. The routes include service from Murfreesboro, Smyrna, LaVergne, Franklin, Brentwood, Thompson's Station, Spring Hill, Gallatin and Hendersonville.

Due to damage to a bridge in downtown Lebanon, the Music City Star will not operate on Monday. The bridge is located at the intersection of Highway 231 near Short Street. Construction personnel have been working on the repairs but could not complete them prior to Monday due to the severe weather.

As a precautionary measure, MTA personnel relocated its fleet of buses from the Nestor Street garage to the Nashville Public Schools bus lot near the fairgrounds on Sunday.

MTA Customer Care personnel are on duty at Music City Central to answer calls and will remain on duty as long as possible. The telephone number is 615-862-5950. However, due to problems with the phone lines, not all calls are getting through. Customers are asked to check the nashvillemta.org website for updates.

Enjoy a relaxing ride, friendly people and not worrying about traffic congestion or finding a parking spot near your favorite downtown restaurant. The Regional Transportation Authority's (RTA) Music City Star train is the perfect option for a Friday evening trip to downtown Nashville.

Every Friday night, the Music City Star offers convenient service into downtown for people who want to enjoy fine dining, music and the excitement of Music City.

"The beautiful spring weather is perfect for riding the train into Nashville, walking around and enjoying all of the fun activities it offers," RTA CEO Paul J. Ballard said. "Riders also can park their cars for free at all of the outlying train stations. The fun begins the minute you board the train."

The Friday evening train leaves the Lebanon station at 6:50 p.m., makes stops in Martha, Mt. Juliet, Hermitage and Donelson and arrives at Nashville's Riverfront Station at 7:40 p.m. The return train to Lebanon leaves Riverfront Station at 9:30 p.m., makes stops at the other stations along the way and arrives back in Lebanon at 10:20 p.m.

For those wanting to spend more time in downtown Nashville, the Music City Star has an earlier weekday train that departs the Mt. Juliet station at 5 p.m., stops at the Hermitage and Donelson stations and arrives downtown at 5:35 p.m. Two other trains depart the Lebanon station at 3:20 p.m. and 3:55 p.m. and arrive downtown at 4:10 p.m. and 4:50 p.m., respectively.

"Once people become familiar with how easy and convenient it is to ride the Music City Star, they are pleasantly surprised how enjoyable it is," RTA Director of Communications Patricia Harris-Morehead said. "We encourage all of those living in the eastern corridor to support Middle Tennessee's regional train, which is actually Tennessee's first in modern times.

Single-trip tickets cost $5 and can be purchased at Ticket Vending Machines (TVMs) located at all Music City Star station. Pre-purchased tickets are available for purchase at Lebanon City Hall, Mt. Juliet City Hall and select Kroger stores in Donelson, Hermitage, Mt. Juliet and Lebanon. The Kroger stores only sell tickets for departures from stations located in their local communities. The cost of pre-purchased, one-way tickets ranges from $1.60 to $5, depending on the station of departure. Tickets are also available for purchase at Riverfront Station on weekdays from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 6 a.m. until 9:30 p.m. on Friday and 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Once downtown, customers can board one of the new blue and green MTA Music City Circuit buses to reach their final destination. This new, free service began on March 29 and is designed to help tourists, visitors, workers and residents reach sports and entertainment venues, downtown hotels, residences and offices more quickly and easily.

The Music City Circuit operates Monday through Saturday from early morning until late evening. Buses travel in two different downtown routes: one running north/south to the Bicentennial Mall and one running east/west into the Gulch, a LEED certified community. It connects many key downtown destinations including the Farmers' Market, the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, the Gulch's restaurants and bars to Riverfront Station.

For more information, go online to www.musiccitystar.org or call Customer Care at 615-862-5950.