Alaska Railroad Train Information
You'll know from the very moment you climb aboard the Alaska Railroad you're riding on the best train in the world.
Here's what you need to know to get tickets to ride the train:
- Reservations are normally required 24 hours in advance to book seats
- Our trains operate daily in the summer and weekends only in the winter
- Summer is mid-May to mid-September and winter is mid-September to mid-May
- We have three main summer trains:
- Denali Star - two trains, one runs south from Fairbanks to Anchorage and the other runs north from Anchorage to Fairbanks. Both stop at Talkeetna and Denali.
- Coastal Classic - one train departs Anchorage for Seward, stopping at Girdwood, and then returning from Seward the same day.
- Glacier Discovery - one train departs from Anchorage to Whittier, stopping twice at Portage before continuing on to Spencer Whistle Stop and Grandview. This train returns to Portage and Whittier, but not Anchorage. Passengers returning to Anchorage take a motorcoach from Portage.
- The Hurricane Turn operates Thurs-Sun from Talkeetna in summer, traveling north to Hurricane Gulch and then back to Talkeetna.
- This train only operates the first Thursday of the month in the winter.
- The Aurora Winter train travels north from Anchorage to Fairbanks each Saturday and south from Fairbanks to Anchorage each Sunday of the winter season. We have a winter services section that includes vacations, tours, activities, and hotel options.
The Denali Star has two classes of fares, GoldStar Service and Adventure Class, as well as two seasonal pricing periods in the summer, Peak and Value season. Each of these factors affects pricing. All train fares are per segment and one-way unless otherwise noted.
The Coastal Classic also has GoldStar Service and Adventure Class, with one pricing season.
Dining is available on some of our trains and you can view the summer menu and the winter menu online.
Our reservations page provides information on how to call or email. Very soon, we will also introduce a new online booking system.
The Alaska Railroad is ticketless, so your reservation itinerary will be mailed to you and your boarding pass will be issued on the day of travel when you check in. Federal regulations require passengers arrive 1 hour prior to departure to confirm reservation and identification.
There is pay-parking available across from the Anchorage Depot and across from the Comfort Inn. The Fairbanks, Talkeetna, Seward and Wasilla stations offer limited free parking.