Caltrain launches final 'Freedom Train' run

Caltrain today will operate its final run of the "Freedom Train" in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The train will travel from San Jose, Calif., to San Francisco to commemorate the civil rights marches from Selma to Montgomery, Ala., in 1965. The train was scheduled to depart the San Jose Diridon Caltrain Station this morning and operate express service to San Francisco.

For nearly 30 years, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Association of Santa Clara has offered the train ride to recognize the distance walked by King and other civil rights activists. Today's Caltrain ride is the last of the Freedom Trains, which once ran in 29 cities. The trains are no longer being operated due to declining ridership, according to California news media.