The number of people making advance reservations to ride the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad was down at the beginning of summer, but has rebounded as more riders buy tickets the day of their trip.
Railroad Vice President Jeff Johnson said business was down roughly 12% early in the 2025 tourism season. But the most recent numbers show business is down only 4% compared to last year, he said, thanks largely to walk-up ticket purchases.
“We were down significantly as the year began, and we understand that this was the trend across our state and throughout much of the West in the tourism sector,” Johnson said.
Johnson said presidential election years – as was 2024 – often brings a dip in tourism because of uncertainty over possible changes in the government.
“But we are seeing a healthy rebound,” he said. “Year-to-date futures are still generally down, but the ongoing close in bookings are keeping us very optimistic.”
General Manager Jarette Ireland said in the past most people would make reservations to ride the train months in advance, but with more homeschooling and remote work, many are opting to ride the train day of. More visitors are also showing up year-round, not just during the busy summer season, he said.
Johnson said walk-up traffic has been growing over the years, and the railroad is beginning to tailor its trips to those travelers.
It is a trend that has also been observed in Durango’s lodging industry. The Strater Hotel reported last month that more customers are showing up at the last minute, possibly a result of uncertainty in the economy or because travelers are associating Southwest Colorado with the “wild West,” and opting for spontaneity and discovery.
Ireland said the railroad has adjusted by offering more trips for “freelance travelers.” In the past, he said, the railroad mostly ran nine-hour trips from Durango to Silverton. Now it offers more five-hour trips that turn around at the Rockwood depot, which spreads out the number of passengers eases the strain on Silverton businesses.
“In the old days, we used to just run three trains to Silverton,” he said. “They were 45 minutes apart and would dump 1,200 to 1,500 people all within an hour and a half. There was nowhere to accommodate them. So the more you can spread that out, the better it is for the town.”
Besides the shift in how summer passengers buy tickets, the railroad has observed an increase in the number of people making reservations for its popular Polar Express excursions in late fall, showing that the train remains popular even among uncertain economic times.
sedmondson@durangoherald.com
