This article is a long-form story and different from my usual content. If you want the TLDR version, scroll to the bottom.

Fifth and sixth-grade camps were one of the best things about elementary school. At the end of the school year, the entire grade would go on a trip together and overnight in a different part of Alaska. It was great because you’d have a chance to spend more time with kids from other classes, experience a new place and sometimes make a new friend. 

For fifth grade camp, we went to Seward. We boarded the bus early in the morning at school. The back of the bus was already full, so I ended up sitting in the fourth row with a boy named Bryan. I didn’t know Bryan; he was in another class, and I never talked to him for whatever reason. I only knew he was one of the smart kids.

Leaving Eagle River and driving along the highway south toward Anchorage, we started talking about things we had in common, like the Alien movies. We had some laughs singing our utterly inaccurate interpretation of the Cal Worthington jingle when we passed the dealership. 

As we left Anchorage and traveled along the Seward Highway past Potter Marsh and Beluga Point, we passed an Alaska Railroad train headed in the opposite direction. Some of the kids in our bus opened the windows and gave the honking arm gesture. I could see kids doing it on the bus behind us, too. The engineer obliged, blasting the horn to the delight of dozens of fifth graders. 

Bryan said, “I love riding the train; that’s the one I take to see my dad in the summer.” I was intrigued because I’d never been on a train before. Bryan went on to tell me that his parents are divorced, and his dad lives in Seward. Every summer, he spends the summer in Seward with him and takes the train there and back in the fall before school starts. I interjected and said that the trains in Alaska are only for tourists, but he explained that the train he rides is just for regular people, passengers going to Seward, and a few other stops on the way. 

“Some people have big backpacks, coolers, and even their dog with them,” he added. I envisioned all these rustic Alaskans and backpackers traveling together and sharing their stories about the Alaskan backcountry.

“Isn’t it expensive?” I asked, “Why don’t your parents drive you there?” Bryan explained that because he’s an Alaskan, there are some discounts, making it more affordable. He also told me that his mom has bad vision and isn’t allowed to drive at night, and his dad drives an old truck that isn’t very reliable, so the train is the best way to get there. His mom packs him lunch and drops him off in the morning, and his dad picks him up at the train station in Seward in the afternoon. It sounded so cool to me. 

We spent the next two days in Seward on field trips to the beach to study marine invertebrates. We slept at Mason’s Hall, which I remember had some weird throne-type chairs but not much else. I spent most of the time goofing around with my usual friends. 

On the bus ride back, we sat together again and talked about what a fun time we had. He told me that it was cool to learn more about all the things we saw in the tide pools, but there’s way more to see there, especially on the other side of the bay where his dad lives, and on the fourth of July they have the Mount Marathon race and fireworks.  “You should come visit me this summer!” He exclaimed; it sounded fun, so I agreed and we planned for me to visit in July as long – as my parents let me. 

That weekend, I told my parents about the field trip, what we learned, and my new friend. I told them about how I wanted to visit him there this summer, and almost immediately, they told me that they were too busy to drive me to Seward. My mom was working nights at the grocery store, and my dad had to be on call, so he couldn’t leave Anchorage. 

“There’s a train!” I interrupted, and it’s not expensive either”. 

Skeptical, my parents asked me more about it, and I told them all about how Bryan goes to visit his dad down there, and they agreed to call the ticketing office on Monday. 

Monday was the last day of school, and when I got home, my parents surprised me by telling me that they talked about it and, when I was ready to go down to Seward, they’d buy me a ticket on the condition that I don’t call them and ask for a ride home before my return ticket. We laughed a little because I had asked them to come pick me up from sleepovers before. I agreed, and they reassured me that they would get me if I really needed to go home. 

I was so excited that I called Bryan, and we planned for me to visit in the last week of June and go home on July 6th. 

When my parents took me to the rail depot downtown early in the morning, I was surprised to see many people being dropped off at the curb with their bags. There was a group of dads with fishing poles and nets; their friends were already there waiting to meet them with coolers and folding chairs. A mother dropped Three children off; she handed the oldest boy a paper plate with cookies and told him to give them to his father: “They’re his favorite.” A group of Coast Guard cadets were waiting together on the grass out front, and an elderly woman was seeing off a young couple and their baby. I remember feeling connected to my fellow travelers, which made me more comfortable going alone. We were all traveling together. 

The train ride to Seward was terrific. I’d never been on a train before, and although I had traveled to Seward by car, seeing the landscape from a new perspective and having a sense of independence made it a brand-new experience. We stopped to pick up some people at Portage, and shortly after that, the train separated from the highway and went into the mountains, where everything I saw was brand new to me. We stopped at Spencer to drop off some hikers with pack rafts and again at Moose Pass to drop off that young couple and their baby; some of their friends were waiting to meet them.  

When we arrived at Seward, my friend Bryan was there to greet me with his dad. We rode in his pickup around the bay to his cabin perched on the rocks above the bay off Nash Road. 

We spent the week exploring the beach, finding beach glass, riding 3-wheelers around the sandbars on the flats, and riding our bikes into town for the Fourth of July. It was a fantastic week, and we had so much fun, but most importantly, it wouldn’t have been possible without the Seward passenger train service!

While I enjoyed writing this, the story is only partially true. 

You probably know there is no regular passenger service to Seward. There is a train with service to Seward, but tickets for adults are over $400 round trip and almost $300 for children. There are some discounts for seniors and members of the armed forces. Overall, it is not an affordable travel option and, most importantly, not designed to move Alaskans from point A to B; instead, it is an expensive tourist attraction.

I didn’t write this to criticize the Alaska Railroad. I appreciate that it generates revenue for the state, attracts visitors who support local businesses, and moves a significant freight volume. Still, I also wish it could serve regular people who want to travel our state without driving.

My story provided several examples of how such a service could be used recreationally and as a vital transportation link for people within our state. In reality, I did spend a week in Seward with my childhood friend that summer and it was fun, but my parents had to drive me there on their only days off, and I know it was expensive and stressful to drive our old Buick there and back. 

The Alaska Railroad is great, but it could be much better if it could provide affordable passenger and outstanding tourist services.