Alaska Railroad Moves Wasilla Passenger Stop

Alaska Railroad Corporation External Affairs Director Meghan Clemens says during the summer, Wasilla is served twice daily by the Denali Star Train, with a northbound train in the morning and a southbound train in the evening. The Wasilla stop is used less frequently during the rest of the year; the Aurora Winter Train schedule includes stops in Wasilla on Saturday and Sunday. The round-trip Hurricane Turn Train, which operates between Anchorage and Hurricane Gulch north of Talkeetna from October to May, adds two stops a day on the first Thursday of each month.

Clemens says the road was typically blocked for no more than five minutes, but larger groups getting on or off the train would occasionally require additional time.

New Rail Stop Renews Warm Wasilla Welcome

The location change reunites the rail stop with the historic Wasilla Depot, which moved from the Parks Highway/Knik-Goose Bay Road intersection in 2020. The depot building was built by the Alaska Engineering Commission in 1917. Along with the original Wasilla school, now located at the Historic Town Site on Main Street, it was one of the first buildings in Wasilla. Both were built as part of a larger effort to complete a main line of the Alaska Railroad from Seward to Fairbanks. Owned by the City of Wasilla, the depot has housed the Greater Wasilla Chamber of Commerce and a Visitor Information Center for several years.

“We welcome train visitors to utilize the Visitor Center while waiting for the train during our open hours,” Viera says. “We enjoy meeting with the train passengers who are waiting for the train, hearing their stories, where they are from, and why they are visiting Alaska. In return, we tell them all about Wasilla and the Mat-Su and encourage them to come spend time exploring all that the Valley has to offer.”

When the depot was moved to its new location east of the Knik-Goose Bay Road and Parks Highway intersection in 2020, passengers no longer had a place to gather while waiting for a train. Chamber staff are happy to greet railroad passengers again.

“With multiple trains a day stopping, we are thrilled the stop is back with the Depot’s location and are excited to welcome visitors again this summer as well as help keep traffic flowing through Wasilla,” Viera says.

The Wasilla Chamber of Commerce has limited operating hours in winter; it is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed on weekends and on the first and third Tuesdays for chamber luncheons. In summer the Chamber is open seven days a week, thanks to a grant from the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Viera says.