Crowds board Caltrain for NorCal Celebration Train in honor of Martin Luther King Jr Day

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Large crowds gathered early Monday morning to board Caltrain for the commemorative NorCal Celebration train, headed to San Francisco for the MLK2020 March.

ABC7 News spoke to passengers as they grabbed their commemorative tickets and boarded the train at the Dirdoin Caltrain stop. The train then went on to pick up other larger crowds of riders in Palo Alto and San Mateo, finally stopping in San Francisco.

Terry Sayer was one of the first riders in line in San Jose Monday morning. She says she believes Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's dream is still alive, but there's more work that needs to be done.

She said, for her, the dream means "for everybody to live together as one unit... (that's) what MLK's dream was about. Freedom for our people - for everybody."

Susan Jara brought her young daughter to the MLK Day March. "I think it's important for the kids to know what this man did for the county," said Jara.

Several other parents also brought their children to the event and stressed why it was so important for younger generations to continue remembering the live and legacy of Dr. King.

"This freedom ride is so important because it shows the diversity of America and how diverse America is today," said Cameron Brown. "And it's a beautiful place to live."

The New Life Fellowship Praise Team was also on board the train. They entertained the crowd of riders with renditions of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" and "Happy Birthday" to celebrate the late Dr. King, who would have been 91 years old today.

Caltrain staff also asked trivia questions and gave out memorabilia and t-shirts.

While several people mentioned this was their first time taking part in the NorCal CalTrain celebration ride for MLK Jr. Day, it certainly wont be their last.