Key Aspects:
- Goldbelt Tram, a popular attraction enjoyed by cruise guests in Juneau, has extended its temporary closure indefinitely.
- Work is still being done on the attraction after an accident on April 30, 2026, which sent two employees to the hospital.
- The goal is still to reopen this summer before the cruise season ends, though no reopening date has been set.
Nearly a month after an accident led to the abrupt closure of Juneau’s famous Goldbelt Tram, the popular shore excursion has extended its closure indefinitely.
On the night of April 30, 2026, five tram employees were riding a tram car that came into the base station too fast and stopped abruptly. Two of the passengers were sent to the hospital for minor injuries.
Cruise Hive previously reported that the tram was supposed to reopen on May 24, 2026, and that guests from the 85 cruise ship calls scheduled during the closure would receive full refunds.
But with June just around the corner to herald the official arrival of the peak Alaska cruise season, the tram company is unable to set a new reopening date due to ongoing repairs and inspections. However, the plan is to reopen before the end of summer.
“There is no date set to open until we are certified safe to operate. We don’t know when that date will be,” Goldbelt Inc. President and CEO McHugh Pierre told KTOO.
“We anticipate opening this year. This is not a lost season, but we want to make sure that again, safety is the priority — the only priority,” Pierre continued.
Cruise Hive will continue to monitor the situation and will issue an update when a new opening date is announced.
The Current Status of the Goldbelt Tram
While the cause behind the accident has not been publicly confirmed, the company and all relevant authorities are taking every possible step to ensure it never happens again.
Pierre stated that residents and visitors alike can expect to see some changes for the better at the terminals in the coming weeks, and noted that all tram cars will temporarily come off their cables to be repaired, inspected, and recertified.
“We are going to take the tram cars off of the cables…You’ll see the cars move, they’ll be gone, and they’ll get worked on and repaired, inspected, and certified, and then we’ll mount them back on the cables for use,” Pierre explained.
As repairs are being made, guests who want the Goldbelt experience are still invited to visit the tram’s Lower Terminal for refreshments, cultural experiences, and shopping.
“While tram rides remain temporarily paused, the Lower Terminal continues welcoming guests daily with Raven About Coffee, cultural experiences, shopping, and visitor amenities,” Goldbelt Tram posted on Facebook.
“We look forward to welcoming everyone back aboard as soon as operations resume safely,” the update added.
The tram is located immediately adjacent to the main downtown cruise ship docks and is only a short walk away. It’s also free to enter the Lower Terminal, making it an affordable activity for cruisers who don’t have other plans in Juneau.
Thousands of Cruise Guests Impacted
Alaska’s capital welcomes roughly 1.6 to 1.7 million cruise passengers every year, hundreds of thousands of whom use the tram to ride to the top of Mount Roberts every summer.
Some brands, such as Princess Cruises and Carnival Cruise Line, offer multiple versions of the Goldbelt Tram that sell the experience on its own or paired with other attractions, such as sight seeing at the Mendenhall Glacier.
Hopefully, the attraction will reopen sooner rather than later, both for the enjoyment of cruise passengers but also because every day the attraction remains closed surely brings a significant loss in revenue for the company. Full refunds have and will continue to be provided to all impacted guests and season passholders.
More From Cruise Hive
Just for the remainder of May (May 23 going forward), 55 cruise ship calls are expected in Juneau. In June, a whopping 172 ship calls are on the port schedule.
They come from a variety of major cruise brands, including Holland America Line, Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Disney Cruise Line, and more.
