Talks Planned About Future Of Winter Park Ski Train
DENVER (AP) - As the first Ski Train in six years pulled out of Denver's Union Station, a conductor checking his smartphone read out a report that traffic was already stop-and-go on the highway to the mountains.
Winter Park spokesman Steve Hurlbert told The AP on Monday that for him, hearing passengers respond with cheers underlined the enthusiasm for an alternative to driving. That's one of the reasons his resort and Amtrak plan talks next month about reviving regular ski train service.
A total of about 900 people rode a train Saturday and another Sunday to the resort. The special excursions were mounted to celebrate Winter Park's 75th anniversary and are the only runs planned this season. A private company stopped regular weekend Ski Train service in 2009 because of high insurance and other costs.
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After tickets for Saturday's Denver-Winter Park round trip sold out in about 10 hours when offered in February, the Sunday trip was organized and those tickets sold out in about four hours.
Tickets were $75 dollars - marking 75 years - and half price for up to two children traveling with an adult.
Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari told The AP determining what customers would pay is among the questions that will have to be worked out before making a decision on regular service. Magliari said Amtrak would also want to maximize use of its locomotives and cars after the busy winter holidays and might have trouble providing equipment before the first or second week of January.
"We'll look at the business case for this," Magliari said.
Hurlbert said that while hurdles remained to be cleared,"it's hard not to be super enthusiastic based on the results of" the weekend trips.
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