The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad will expand its trains to full capacity on June 16.
Although there will be no social distancing in the rail cars, passengers will still need to wear a facial mask while aboard the train at stations unless the passenger is eating or drinking.
The mask rule is due to a federal mandate that affects all forms of public transportation.
Most of the plastic shields that were used to separate passengers have been removed from CVSR rail cars.
In an announcement the CVSR said full capacity was made possible by the lifting of most restrictions by the state and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CVSR operates Wednesday through Sunday in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park between Akron and Independence in the Cleveland suburbs.
The railroad suspended most operations last year due to the CVOID-19 pandemic. It resumed scheduled service on May 1 but at no more than 50 percent of capacity and with social distancing required aboard the trains.
CVSR said in a statement that the return to full capacity will allow more tickets to be sold and therefore give the railroad flexibility to offer a new single roundtrip option for a three-and-a-half-hour trip.
Tickets for August and additional tickets for June and July, will go on sale to CVSR members June 8 and to the public on June 11. Tickets can only be purchased at cvsr.org.
In an unrelated development, the CVSR announced that two new members have been appointed to fill vacancies on its board of trustees.
They are Joseph Biber of Macedonia and Frank Mahnic Jr. of Valley View.
Biber is a retired chemist with Sherwin-Williams whereas Mahnic is president at Frank Mahnic Jr. and Associates, a firm specializing in business and local government consulting, economic development, and project finance, federal, state, regional and local government grants, planning and general government relations.
He is a former five-term member of the Ohio House of Representatives from the 13th district.
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