The West Coast Express Santa Train is running again this year, giving riders a trip into Vancouver for a day of holiday shopping and activities, while creating more Christmas cheer in the communities it serves.
“The West Coast Express Santa Train is back for its 30th year!” said a TransLink spokesperson. “The Santa Train will be running on Saturday, Dec. 6 and Saturday, Dec. 13. Both trains will depart Mission City Station at 10 a.m.”
The train exchanges rides for toys, which are used to support Christmas charities across the region at this time of year.
Customers can receive a return ticket for the West Coast Express in exchange for a new, unwrapped toy or gift.
Volunteers at each station collect donations, and they benefit the communities served by the West Coast Express, including the Mission Christmas Bureau, the Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows Christmas Hamper Society, the Tri-Cities Share Society, and the Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau.
The train brought in about 1,000 new toys and over $1,000 in donations to the cause last year, from more than 1,600 riders. There was only one running of the train, as one weekend the train served riders who were travelling into Vancouver for a concert that was part of the Taylor Swift Eras Tour.
In 2023, when there were two runnings of the train, there were more than 6,000 riders, and they donated 2,250 toys and $2,800 in cash.
It will arrive at Waterfront Station in Vancouver, where annual holiday festivities are held, and the Vancouver Christmas Market is held at nearby Jack Poole Plaza.
The West Coast Express Santa Train departure schedule:
Mission City Station – 10 a.m.
Port Haney Station – 10:19 a.m.
Maple Meadows Station – 10:25 a.m.
Pitt Meadows Station – 10:29 a.m.
Port Coquitlam Station – 10:39 a.m.
Coquitlam Central Station – 10:45 a.m.
Moody Centre Station – 10:50 a.m.
It is scheduled to arrive at Vancouver’s Waterfront Station at 11:15 a.m.
The train will then depart Waterfront Station to return along the route in the evening, by the following schedule:
Waterfront Station – 4 p.m.
Moody Centre Station – 4:25 p.m.
Coquitlam Central Station – 4:30 p.m.
Port Coquitlam Station – 4:35 p.m.
Pitt Meadows Station – 4:45 p.m.
Maple Meadows Station – 4:49 p.m.
Port Haney Station – 4:55 p.m.
Mission City Station – 5:15 p.m.