The Winter Park Express expands service, cuts prices for 2025 season

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A volunteer helps Amtrak conductor Brad Swartzwelter unload passenger ski equipment from the Winter Park Express. Photo: Kyle Cooke, Rocky Mountain PBS
DENVER — The Winter Park Express, Amtrak’s Denver-to-Winter Park route that operates during ski season in Colorado, is expanding its service.

The Express will run five days a week — Thursday through Monday — beginning Thursday, January 9, 2025. Previously, the route was only available Friday through Sundays.

When Rocky Mountain PBS rode the train last year, many riders said they would take the train more often if it was more affordable. At the time, tickets were $59 per person for a round trip. 

This season, tickets will start at $19 for a one-way fare. Children ages 2-12 can receive 50% discounts.

“The Winter Park Express is a great opportunity for Coloradans and visitors to explore our mountains without the hassle of driving or traffic,” Governor Jared Polis, who rode the Winter Park Express last season, said Monday.
Governor Jared Polis on the first Winter Park Express trip of the 2024 season. Photo: Peter Vo, Rocky Mountain PBS
Governor Jared Polis on the first Winter Park Express trip of the 2024 season. Photo: Peter Vo, Rocky Mountain PBS
“Now with expanded service and lower costs, Coloradans can save time and money on our way to enjoying our great outdoors. I look forward to taking the train into the mountains this season,” he said.

In a press release, the governor’s office announced that Amtrak is adding two train cars to the Express, boosting the number of seats from 268 to approximately 402. Amtrak is also expanding its holiday service, offering Winter Park Express trips Dec. 20-22 and Dec. 27-29, 2024.

“The Winter Park Express ski train has long been a beloved tradition for Colorado and our guests from around the globe. It has demonstrated the desire from both residents and visitors for transportation options other than passenger vehicles,” Sky Foulkes, president of Winter Park Resort, said in a press release. 

“The Winter Park Express gives people another way to get to the slopes that’s more scenic, sustainable, and relaxing than getting in a car and driving.”

The Winter Park Express dates back to 1940, the same year Winter Park Resort opened for skiing. The train was initially called the “Ski Train.” The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad operated the line until 2009.

Amtrak brought the train back for a one-day-only event in 2015. It was so popular that Amtrak added a second day. The railroad company officially brought the train back in 2017 with the Winter Park Express name.

You can learn more about the Express in this season’s episode of “Colorado Experience: The Ski Train.”
Tickets for the 2025 season went on sale Monday, November 4. More information is available here.