The Royal Gorge Route passenger train is rolling into its 23rd year of providing breathtaking rides through the Royal Gorge canyon, but it is also on track to be a hugely popular restaurant on wheels.
When Owner Mark Greksa and his family revived passenger train rides through the Royal Gorge in 1998, about 75,000 passengers rode the train during the two-hour round trip the first two summers of 1999 and 2000.
A concession car provided snacks like popcorn, sodas and candy bars back in those days.
Fast forward 21 years and the ride has become a year-round attraction that is a huge draw for not only train buffs, but foodies. Chefs obtain the majority of it the train’s goods and ingredients from Colorado producers, creating fresh gourmet foods prepared on the train’s kitchen cars as it chugs into the canyon.
The Royal Gorge Route Railroad plans to give free train rides to Fremont County residents who got their second vaccination at the Royal Gorge Mansion, the railroad announced Thursday.
About a third of the county s adult population have received both vaccinations as of Thursday, county health data showed. The railroad teamed up with the Fremont County Department of Public Health & Environment to encourage more of the county s residents to get vaccinated.
“Fremont County folks have a fierce independent streak and we absolutely share that on a personal and business level,” Mark Greksa, owner of the Royal Gorge Route Railroad and Royal Gorge Mansion, said in a news release. “To regain control of our economic future, we must keep businesses open and people healthy this means we need to do our part and get vaccinated.”