A ski train is a passenger train marketed specifically to carry skiers and snowboarders to ski resorts. Ski trains may operate only during the winter sports season, or they may run year-round with additional capacity added during the winter months. They are designed or adapted to accommodate ski equipment, often with dedicated storage racks on the interior or exterior of the cars.
Overview
Ski trains serve as an alternative to private automobile travel to mountain resorts, offering a mode of transport that avoids winter driving hazards such as snow, ice, and mountain road conditions. They are found in both North America and Europe, with varying levels of service and infrastructure.
Ski Trains in North America
United States
Ski trains in the United States historically connected major population centers to nearby ski areas, particularly in the Northeast. Most were concentrated in that region, running from cities such as New York City and Boston to destinations including Bousquet Ski Area and Chickley Alp. The popularity of ski trains peaked from the late 1930s through the mid-1950s. As many smaller ski areas closed in the 1970s and 1980s, the corresponding ski train services also declined.
Notable examples include:
- Amtrak Winter Park Express (2015, 2017–present) — Operates between Denver Union Station and Winter Park Resort, Colorado. This service inherited the route of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Ski Train, which ran from 1940 to 2009. As of 2026, the train runs five days per week (Thursday to Monday) from January to March along a scenic 62-mile (100 km) route, the shortest in the Amtrak system.
- Milwaukee Ski Bowl (1938–1950) — Operated by the Milwaukee Road from Seattle and Tacoma to Snoqualmie, Washington. It was the first night ski train and offered recreation coaches for dancing.
- Sunday River Ski Train (1993–1996) — Served Sunday River Resort in Maine.
- Boston and Maine Snow Train (1931–1956, chartered 1964–1972) — Connected Boston to ski areas in New Hampshire and Maine.
- Gore Mountain Snow Train (1934–1940s and 2011–2018) — Served Gore Mountain in New York.
Canada
- P'tit Train du Nord — Linked Montreal to ski hills and cross-country ski lodges in the Laurentides region of Quebec.
Ski Trains in Europe
Railway companies in Alpine countries operate extra services during the winter sports season, often marketed specifically as ski trains. The Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) markets its winter services under the name "Snow'n'Rail."
Current Long-Distance Ski Trains
- Travelski Express — A non-stop Eurostar service from London to Moûtiers and Bourg Saint-Maurice in the French Alps. It operated on Friday nights and Saturdays during the 2021–2022 and 2022–2023 ski seasons, chartered by Compagnie des Alpes and sold only as a package with accommodation.
- Bourg Saint-Maurice services — Winter-only daytime services from Amsterdam and Brussels (operated by Thalys) and from Paris (operated by SNCF).
- Alpen Express / Alps-Express — Winter-only ski night trains with sleeping cars from the Netherlands to the Austrian Alps, with additional services from Germany and other countries.
- Nightjet (ÖBB) — Austrian long-distance night trains with sleeping cars from Amsterdam, Brussels, Hamburg, and Paris (from December 2021) that carry significant numbers of passengers to winter sports destinations around Innsbruck and Vienna, operating year-round.
Other Trains Primarily Serving Skiers
- Dorfbahn Serfaus — A short railway in Serfaus, Austria, that carries skiers from a parking lot to the ski lift.
- Many mountain railways in the Swiss Alps primarily serve skiers during the winter season.
Design and Equipment
Ski train cars are often designed or converted to carry skis and snowboards, either on exterior racks or in interior storage compartments. Some services offer onboard amenities such as food and beverage service, and certain European night trains provide sleeping accommodations for overnight journeys to Alpine resorts.
