The Ski Train rides again. Briefly.
Amtrak and Winter Park ski area are reviving the venerable Ski Train with a one-day round-trip between Denver’s Union Station and the Grand County resort March 14.
To celebrate Winter Park’s 75th anniversary, the Winter Park Express excursion train will offer up to 400 passengers $75 round-trip fares.
The 56-mile route — which reaches Winter Park’s slopes via the 6.2-mile Moffat Tunnel beneath the Continental Divide — played a vital role in establishing the Denver-owned ski area.
Beginning in 1940, the Ski Train carried skiers between Denver and Winter Park every ski season through 2009. The operation lost money, and investor Philip Anschutz, who acquired the Ski Train in 1988, sold the business in 2009, citing the rising cost of insurance coverage, declining profits and operating issues with freight trains on the line.
The March 14 excursion train will give skiers a “brief chance to sample the comfort and reliability of Amtrak,” said Mark Murphy, Amtrak’s general manager responsible for the excursion train, in a statement released Wednesday.
Gary DeFrange, the longtime president of Winter Park Resort, said the one-day train could show the potential of more consistent rail service between the city and its prized park.
Round-trip adult fares include a $15 voucher to spend at the resort’s restaurants and retail stores. Kids ages 2-12 traveling with an adult pay half fare. Tickets are available at Amtrak.com/WinterParkExpress or by calling 888-923-7275.