The Train’s A Comin’: The Denver to Winter Park Ski Train returns after a six-year hiatus

On October 5, Colorado Ski Country USA issued a press release stating that the Ski Train—historically running from Denver to Winter Park until it ceased operations in 2009—will be kicking back into gear.

The reopening of the Ski Train was brought about after two successful trial runs this past March, and its return is made possible by a new relationship between Winter Park, Amtrak and Union Pacific Railways.

“We brought it back for one weekend in March of 2015, and it sold out,” says Steve Herlbert, Director of Communications for Winter Park Resort. “We had two runs, one on Saturday and one on Sunday, and they both sold out in something like 15 hours. That indicated that there was definitely a demand for it.”

The Ski Train was started in the 1940s as a way to get travelers from Denver to the Front Range, but over the years it evolved to run specifically for transporting skiers from the city to the slopes of Winter Park. In 2009, it discontinued operations due to cost-prohibitive indemnification regulations.

The previous iteration of the Ski Train was owned and operated by Philip Anschutz, but upon its return Amtrak showed disinterest in a third party owner as it is looking to be the primary passenger rail service in the U.S.

“We started working with Amtrak back in December of 2014 to have them operate it,” Herlbert explains. And with new improvements to Union Station in Denver, the passenger experience for skiers has greater appeal. In addition to updated facilities, Herlbert cites the desire to reduce the carbon footprint of travel as another motivator for the reinvigorated rail system.

“Right now the Ski Train is the only alternative to getting in your car and driving on I-70, so the environmental aspect of this is a huge component of the Ski Train,” says Herlbert. “The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) estimates that that is 500 cars that are being taken off the road at peak times [by using the train]—from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. in the morning and from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the evening.” He also mentions that another environmental consideration is that there will be no added infrastructure needed to reopen the Ski Train, as tracks have existed in their current place for over 50 years.

And for those just looking to stay out of I-70 traffic, the Ski Train provides an alternative requiring zero driving time for downtown Denver residents who just want to sit back and relax before a day on the slopes.

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For more information and to purchase train tickets, visit www.amtrak.com/winterparkexpress.