After a successful service expansion last year, Amtrak’s Winter Park Express is back for another big season, beginning on December 19, and making 57 roundtrips through March 29. 

The train is set to run December 19-21, 26-28 and January 2-4, before regular service begins on January 8, with four weekly roundtrips (Thursday through Sunday). Tickets start at $9. Last year, Amtrak worked with the Colorado Department of Transportation to lower ticket prices and the train saw a 150 percent ridership increase.

Like last year, passengers will be able to ride the train all the way to Fraser, just west of Winter Park (previously, the train laid over in Fraser during the day, but passengers had to get off at the ski area). 

The train departs Denver at 7 a.m. and arrives at the resort at 9:11 a.m. and in Fraser at 9:41 a.m. The return trip departs Fraser at 4:05 p.m. and Winter Park Resort at 4:35 p.m. and arrives in Denver at 7:05 p.m.

The ski train to Winter Park has been a Colorado institution since the early 20th century. The original train was canceled in 2009, but Amtrak brought it back as the Winter Park Express in 2017. 

—Justin Franz