Alaska Railroad Fairbanks a Denali One Way

The train is awesome; over the last five days we went from Anchorage to Seward and back again and then to Denali. After two days in Denali, we headed on to Fairbanks to catch a plane home. So, we spent some time on the Alaska Rail. When reviewing something you are prone to comparing it to other trains. So, to start, this not an overnight train such as VIA Rail in Canada or Amtrak in the lower 48 states. Its other comparable would be the luxury private trains in Canada and the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. It is truly unique and ignoring its differences from other rail would be to do it a disservice. Alaska Rail is a legacy service operating on tracks that were engineered at the turn of the 20th century and is the only railroad in the world that provides “flag stop” service for quick stops to pick up passengers in the rural areas not served by roads. The Goldstar class of service features trains 18’2” tall, two feet higher than Amtrak’s iconic long distance sleepers on Western routes in the United States. Food on the train is satisfactory, but not outstanding, similar to other rail operators. It is not microwave food. Service was excellent when we rode. The scenery was impressive, but less spectacular than the Seward-Anchorage and Anchorage-Denali sections. The construction of the rail and the rail yards are interesting as well as mining operations and Fairbanks itself as opposed to pure mountain and forest scenery in the aforementioned sections. Narration is provided as well as wildlife spotting. The train appeared to be primarily tourists and only made one very brief stop on the way. Cleanliness of the train was not adequate when we boarded due to many people disembarking at Denali and leaving their trash. An employee quickly came around and picked up the debris. The train was exactly on time at both ends. A bathroom was out-of-order in the “B” car when we rode and this is a constant problem as announced on the PA system. This is an excellent rail system and in addition to passenger service, hauls tons of raw materials across these tracks. Private cruise ship passenger cars are often attached to the train.

We road from Alaska Rail Gold Star from Fairbanks to Denali, from Denali to Anchorage and from Seward to Anchorage. We experienced these rides much more favorably than the Wilderness Express. All Alaska Railway Gold Star services include the dome roof, which was a highlight of our Alaska experience. It provided access to striking views which could not have been experienced in other ways including the landscape, waterfalls, moose, bald eagles, trumpet swans, and glaciers. The food and service were fantastic.

I’d rate this experience as a negative 100 if I could. I am doing a once-in-a-lifetime trip with my elderly parents. We paid $1,335 for three tickets to enjoy Gold Star service and amenities. We were scheduled to travel one-way from Fairbanks to Anchorage. We understood the railroad to be highly rated and a great experience. We left Fairbanks on time. All was going well for three hours. We suddenly stopped in Healy, Alaska because staff had just become aware of a landslide that happened hours earlier (potentially even before the train left the station, no one would give a time and tried to brush off the question of “what time did the landslide occur”). Staff were woefully unaware of when service may resume. Initially, it was communicated that the wait may be 20 minutes. After two hours, the staff communicated that we would not be continuing onward. What appeared to be a small clean up on the tracks ballooned into an “unpredictable act of Mother Nature that never happens,” requiring inspectors to sign off on bridge clean up for the landslide. We were stuck on the train from 11:30 to 1:30. Despite the uncertainty in when train service may resume, and despite paying for Gold Star service which includes meals, the Alaska Railroad company told its food service vendor not to provide lunch to us. The railroad staff could not be found while they were trying to arrange back up plans, and the food service staff awkwardly lingered explaining that they had nothing to do with railroad operations. Finally, at 1:30, we were put on to busses after several confusing announcements with conflicting information. These busses transported us to Denali national park, where we then waited for another hour to board coach busses. During the hour wait, we were yelled at to get out of the way of luggage handlers; told to call ticket office about resolutions and refunds (which, the ticket office is closed on Sundays); and not provided any food or water. This was particularly stressful given my dad is diabetic. Also during this time, we were told that the train cuts service this time of year due to weather conditions similar to the one we experienced, which called into question this whole “unpredictable act of Mother Nature” rhetoric that the company employees were clearly trying to convey to avoid having their employer issue refunds or petty lawsuits. The only saving grace is that eventually, there was a coach bus to take us to Anchorage. There’s not been any communication from the railroad company on this “unpredictable act of Mother Nature” several hours later, which further reiterates that the company cannot be bothered to reach out to its customers on what must be some routine weather outages. Alaska Railroad Company needs to do better.

Taking this train was the main reason we wanted to go to Alaska. We actually started in Fairbanks (for 4 hours), got off in Denali for 2 nights, then got back on and went down to Anchorage (8 hours). We did the Adventure Class the first leg of the trip and it was just fine. They have an observation level (no assigned seats up there), where we went up to a few times. The cafe car was great, lots of food options and snacks. Staff was excellent and super nice. We played cards and drank coffee for a few hours. Views were great and they narrate the trip (on and off). Highly recommend this!!!

Very nice, clean and modern feel. They have a gift shop with lots of T-Shirts and some souvenirs for purchase. The staff were all helpful and great! VictorB

Organized, easy to understand process and comfortable travel. Price wise reasonable as well. Clean toilets and food can be purchased in train

The train proved perfect. We expect ed good service, good food, great views and all the rest all there reviews attest. What we did not expect was forest fires that closed the road from Fairbanks to Denali. The train however did not experience even the slightest delay. Had we driven we would have missed everything planned for Denali. One more reason to take the train!

The views are amazing. It was lovely. We took the train all the way to Anchorage which is long, but totally worth it. Sight seeing at its best! Definitely recommend

Went as a part of a tour group. Yes, we had our own cars. But let me tell you, we had a wonderful 4 hours from Fairbanks to Denali. Breakfast was expertly done. The best egg scramble ever!! Don’t miss the one with reindeer sausage. Everything was perfect. And I don’t know how they pulled it off with the elders, but Fall came early, and skies cleared enough to seen Denali from the clearings at Nenana. What an amazing trip.

Our tickets for the Alaska Railroad were Adventure Class. We didn't feel we needed food and drinks in a 4 hour trip. The seats were comfortable and spacious. We could walk from car to car and go up a few stairs to the dome car for better views if we wanted. There was a dining car with snacks and beverages of all types.