Alaska Railroad Depot - Anchorage, Alaska - Passenger and Freight Carrying Railroad

The Alaska Railroad Depot is located at West Ship Creek Avenue in Anchorage, Alaska and is approximately seven miles from the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. There is no scheduled train service connecting the Depot to the Anchorage Airport Depot, but taxis are available and for drivers there is a parking lot across the street from the depot. The railroad was established in 1914 and operated by the Federal government until it was purchased by the State of Alaska in 1985.

The Depot serves as one of the stops for the Alaska Railroad, which covers over 500 miles from Anchorage to Fairbanks, Anchorage to Seward and Anchorage to Whittier. Not only does the railroad carry freight trains but it also takes passengers with many different tour packages available. It helps connect the cities in what is a very large state, but it does not currently have any land connection with any other railroad lines on the North American network.

The railroad is a particularly popular tourist attraction in the summer months with trains featuring single-level seating and wide windows, offering excellent views throughout the journey. Each train is non-smoking and has a dining car available to all passengers with a private dining area on the first level of the GoldStar train. The GoldStar service offers passengers luxury seating for a slightly higher charge than the standard service.

All stations on the railroad provide wheelchairs to passengers needing them, and all the trains are also wheelchair accessible. Service animals are welcome on the trains too but standard pets are only permitted on board in the baggage car in an airline approved kennel, with all dogs muzzled. The depots do not have any lockers so passengers will be unable to hold their luggage at any of them overnight or even for just a couple of hours.

There are numerous routes taken with one of the more spectacular and scenic train journeys being the Denali Star trip from the Anchorage depot to Fairbanks. This is a return trip that takes 12 hours each way through winding mountains and valleys, and taking in stops at Talkeetna and Denali National Park. Visitors will be able to take many wonderful photos, with Denali Park in particular very scenic as it features wildflowers, animals such as grizzly bears, caribou, wolves, dall sheep and moose and the beautiful mountain range.

The Coastal Classic also departs from Anchorage and heads to Seward via the Turnagain Arm and the Kenai Peninsula. This is a 114 mile journey that takes about four and a half hours to complete due in part to the mountainous terrain. Another trip departing from the Anchorage depot takes passengers to Whittier and is a relatively short two hour journey.

Visitors coming from outside Alaska may like to find overnight accommodation before after their journey on the railroad and there are many options in Anchorage. The Historic Anchorage Hotel and Anchorage Grand Hotel are both less than half a kilometer from the Alaska Railroad Depot.