After selling-out 900 tickets for the two-day revival of Colorado's beloved ski train, it looks like interested parties will work hard to resume regular rail service between Winter Park and Denver next winter. The ski train originally began operation in 1940 and ran on ski season weekends through 2009 before the train shut down due to rising costs and declining profits. But when Amtrak announced they would host two one-time rides on March 14 and March 15 to celebrate Winter Park's 75th anniversary, Denver skiers bought the $75 tickets in a matter of hours. Now, we're asking you, Curbediverse, whether you think the ski train should ride again.
As we've mentioned before, the demand for ski train service between Denver and one of it's closest ski areas certainly seems to be growing. Traffic on I-70 is worse than ever, and the 65-mile route only takes 2 hours to traverse 29 tunnels and climb 4,000 feet.
To bring the ski train back, it would require a joint effort between Union Pacific, which owns the tracks, Amtrak, which owns the trains, Winter Park ski area and RTD, which co-owns Denver's Union Station.
According to the Denver Post, if the ski train did return, it's likely that Amtrak would run regular weekend service from January through March, after the busy holiday train travel that marks Amtrak's busiest time of the year. A meeting to decide the fate of the ski train is now scheduled for April. But some are wondering if the $75 per person ticket will keep the train filled every weekend. Many during the recent trips said the price would have to come down in order to make it a regular part of their ski season.
Now we turn it over to you:
· Winter Park Ski Train "part of our legacy, part of our history" [Denver Post]
· Talks planned about future of Winter Park ski train [9News]
· Will Colorado's Winter Park Ski Train Ride Again? [Curbed Ski]
· I-70 Traffic Is So Bad You Can Ski Faster Than You Can Drive [Curbed Ski]
· Top 9 Tips For Skiing Winter Park Like a Colorado Local [Curbed Ski]
· Winter Park Delivers on Family-Oriented Perks [Curbed Ski]
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