Passenger Services The Alaska Railroad (ARRC) offers year-round cally include the Nordic Ski Train chartered to the passenger rail transportation with adventure class Nordic Ski Association, ARRC Holiday Train, Fur and premium GoldStar service. Summer service is Rondy Express Train, Easter Train, Kids Halloween mid-May to mid-September; Winter service is mid- Train, Great Alaska Beer Train, and the Hoo Doo September to mid-May. Beer Train and Family Fun Train originating in Fair- banks). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, charter Passenger Trains and special event trains were all but eliminated • Coastal Classic — Daily summer service between in 2020 and into 2021. Some charter and special Anchorage and Seward event trains may resume later in 2021, depending • Glacier Discovery — Daily summer service be- on how effectively the pandemic is contained. tween Anchorage, Whittier and Chugach Forest Passenger Numbers whistle stops at Spencer Glacier and Grandview Annual ridership is typically about a half-million pas- • Denali Star — Daily summer service between sengers (see the graph on page 2 showing ridership Anchorage, Talkeetna, Denali and Fairbanks in recent years). However, 2020 was highly atypical • Hurricane Turn — Flagstop service to remote due to devastating pandemic impacts to travel and roadless areas: between Anchorage-Hurricane transportation sectors. Numbers below reflect the monthly (first Thursday) in winter; Talkeetna- more typical year in 2019 when ARRC transported Hurricane Thursday-Monday in summer. Flagstop 522,101 passengers, in addition to 2020, when rider- combined with Denali Star for 2020 and 2021. ship plummeted to 32,069 passengers total. • Aurora — Winter weekend and some mid-week Customers traveling aboard cruise company-owned service between Anchorage and Fairbanks railcars pulled by ARRC accounted for about 47% • Special Events/Charters — The Grandview (247,098) of 2019 passengers, but 0% of 2020 pas- Cruise Train is a chartered summer service for sengers, due to the lack of cruise activity. cruise company passengers traveling from Whit- • 275,003 passengers in 2019 and 32,069 pas- tier or Seward to Anchorage; timed with cruise sengers in 2020 used scheduled or special event ship arrivals. Other special event trains typi- service aboard Alaska Railroad trains. Of those: May 21 The Coastal Classic train moves along Turnagain Arm. Hurricane Turn flag stop service offers remote access. 2021 — Coastal Classic: 69,949 in 2019; 9,489 in 2020 Passenger Equipment — Denali Star: 62,630 in 2019; 5,013 in 2020 ARRC’s passenger service fleet includes 45 railcars (ex- — Grandview Cruise Train: 63,374 in 2019; none in 2020 cluding locomotives). All are maintained in a state of good — Glacier Discovery: 47,613 in 2019; 9,437 in 2020 repair with the experience and safety of passengers in mind: — Aurora Winter Train: 12,383 in 2019; 5,865 in 2020 • Business Cars — The restored Denali Car and the Aurora — Hurricane Turn: 10,789 in 2019; 2,156 in 2020 Car offer unique meeting space. Fleet: 2 cars — Special event or Charters: 8,265 in 2019; 99 in 2020 • Diners — Dining and cafe cars with various seating/dining ARRC partners with travel businesses to offer transpor- configurations. Fleet: 6 cars tation, and unique, exciting travel experiences that include lodging, day cruises, adventure activities and sightseeing. • Passenger Coaches — Coaches feature large windows, hand carry storage, and reclining seats facing with a card Customer Service table in between. Six built in 1989. Five built in 1950 were ARRC capitalizes on homegrown talent and a reputa- subsequently updated. Fleet: 11 cars tion for hospitality born of Alaska’s frontier spirit. Each year, • Vista Dome Coaches — Coaches feature 36-38 reclin- customer comments underscore the importance of en- ing seats, plus 24 seats under a dome in the middle that hanced customer service as a prime tool for attracting new offers 360-degree views. Built in mid-1950s and subse- customers and persuading previous passengers to return. quently updated. Fleet: 6 cars A cornerstone to customer service is the long-standing • Low-Level Dome Coaches — Coaches feature large dome Tour Guide Program. In 1981, the Alaska Railroad entered glass windows, and seat (68-76) arranged around four- into agreements with Anchorage and Fairbanks school top tables, small galley and service bar. Four built in the districts to adopt a vocational curriculum to prepare high 1950s and subsequently updated. Three built in 2006- school students for jobs and careers in the travel industry. 2007. Fleet: 7 cars At the end of the school year, the Alaska Railroad hires the cream-of-the-crop to serve onboard summer passenger • Bi-Level Ultradomes — Double-deck first-class dome cars trains as interactive guides. These Alaskan ambassadors feature glass-domed upstairs including an outdoor view- delight railroad customers with interesting narrative, per- ing platform and 72 reclining seats. Downstairs includes sonalized attention and a youthful, infectious excitement to a full-service kitchen and dining area with 36 seats at tables. Built in 2005, 2007 and 2008. Fleet: 6 cars experience rail transportation through Alaska. Future passenger opportunities may stem from addi- • Bi-Level DMU — The Chugach Explorer self-propelled tional transportation services. Over the past two decades, railcar is suited for whistle stop and commuter services, ARRC has continued to invest in rail research and infra- with 112 seats, kitchen and baggage area. Built in 2009. structure that make additional rail service more feasible. Fleet: 1 car This includes new depots at the Anchorage international • Baggage Cars — Cars store luggage and include genera- airport and Palmer fairgrounds, an upgraded intermodal tors to supply electrical power to coaches. Built in 1961-62 transportation facility in Ship Creek, and straighter (faster) and subsequently rebuilt. Fleet: 6 cars track between Anchorage and Wasilla. Passenger Ridership (in thousands) 532 522 494 506 32 Aurora Winter Train ridership has been growing. (photo by David Blazejewski) 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Alaska Railroad Passenger Services • Page 2.