Hey, let's take a ride
on the North Pole Express!
All aboard!
Tickets now on sale!
Come for a Christmas train ride on the North Pole Express and meet Santa!
2026 Dates
Saturday, Sunday – November 28, 29
Saturday, Sunday – December 5, 6
Saturday, Sunday – December 12, 13
Saturday, Sunday – December 19, 20
Monday – December 21
Daily Departures
11:00 am
1:00 pm
3:00 pm
5:00 pm
ALL tickets include free parking and reserved seating.
Seat selection available when booking!
Early bird discount of 15% on 11am departures for the first 3 weekends.
Early bird discount ends ends Oct 1.
Bronze Ticket: CA$ 48.76 per seat
Coaches – #5, #6, #7
Seats – Quad Formation in a vintage coach.
Departure Times Available – 11am, 1pm, 3pm
Description: Enjoy reserved seating, free parking, onboard entertainment, onboard activities for kids and a cookie and that’s all before you arrive at the North Pole! Buy this departure before October 1st and get 15% off. Some restrictions apply.
Silver Ticket: CA $55.12 per seat
Coaches – #3, #4
Seats – Quad formation leather seats in a modern coach
Departure Times Available – 11am, 1pm, 3pm
Description: Enjoy reserved seating in a modern coach with large viewing windows, free parking, on board entertainment, onboard activities for the kids and a cookie and that’s all before you arrive at the North Pole!
Gold Ticket: CA $60.95 per seat
Coaches – #1, #2
Seats – Quad Formation in a vintage coach with a table.
Departure Times Available – 11am, 1pm, 3pm
Description: Enjoy an elevated experience with reserved seating, free parking, preferred loading from the station platform, decorated interiors, onboard entertainment, onboard activities for the kids and a complimentary North Pole Express souvenir mug.
Platinum Ticket: CA $ 75.26 per seat
Coaches – #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7
Seats – Quad formation in a vintage or modern coach
Departure Time: 5pm
Description: Enjoy the most unique departure of the day. Depart at dusk and return in the dark where it feels like you are arriving in a different place. Kids will enjoy disembarking on the opposite side of the train into a huge outdoor Christmas light display. Enjoy enhanced onboard entertainment, onboard activities for the kids, a cookie, a souvenir North Pole Express Mug and that’s all before you arrive at the North Pole! If you want to make the biggest impact on your family and friends, this is the departure to book.
Limited Release Tickets
35% off All Rack Rates $CDN
Although most departures sell out we have a new offering this year. 48 Hours prior to departure we will put all remaining seats, if any are available, on sale at 35% off. Keep your eyes on the website wcra.org if you want to take your chances on a great last minute deal.
Alberta Private Coach*
$ 1500 + GST per ride
Allows groups of up to 15 friends and family.
*Limited Availability –
email us at generalmanager@wcra.org with Subject Line “Alberta Ride” for more info.
(We will do our best to respond within 24 hrs)
Buy now! Click on a date below to book your tickets!
Note: Best selection of seats will be assigned during booking.
You may CHANGE the assigned seats and select your own during Checkout (based on availability).
Consumer Alert: The Railway Museum of BC is the ONLY authorized seller of North Pole Express tickets. Be aware of fraudulent reseller scams.
We’re excited to be welcoming you back to the Railway Museum of British Columbia for Fall and Winter fun on board our North Pole Express train ride adventure.
Choose from a variety of Vintage Coach or Modern Coach options.
Limited Tickets available for Private Alberta Car departures ONLY.
Book early to get the times you want for your train ride. Our train crews are busy making the North Pole Express ready for your visit. We’ll be running five trains per day on Saturday and four trains on Sunday, every weekend.
Visit us in the Roundhouse to see Santa Claus! Come for a ride on our Holiday Mini-rail train, through the Christmas Car Shop and right on by ‘Buddy’, our 1910 Pacific Great Eastern #2 Steam Engine! Explore our Holiday Model Train Displays. Enjoy crafts and other fun activities.
About the NORTH POLE EXPRESS train ride
The North Pole Express is a fun family Christmas event that takes you on an adventurous and entertaining train ride from our North Pole Express Station to our North Pole.
ALL trains operate to and from the Railway Museum of BC in Squamish!
Kids of all ages will enjoy the sing-along entertainment as you take the train to The North Pole to see Santa arrive on the Mini-Rail train that you can ride too. See Marshall P. Bear, the Polar Bear that is the head of Santa’s workshop.
Along the way you and your family will meet all sorts of characters and enjoy cookies on the train. Warm up with unlimited hot chocolate and marshmallows at the North Pole and enjoy many activities for the kids. You will eventually find your way to visit Santa and Mrs. Claus for a family photoshoot to preserve your memories of this exciting day.
This is a fully immersive event that families come back to year after year so be sure to buy your tickets now before they sell out!
Our North Pole Express train will be led by our 1950’s vintage FP9A passenger locomotives. CN #6520 and/or CP #4069. The train consist will include several of our restored CN coaches, and will feature our historic Canadian Pacific ‘Alberta’ Business Car with observation platform at the end of the train for boarding. (RMBC may substitute, remove or add equipment as necessary to meet operational or mechanical requirements).
The route:
The North Pole Express trains operate on Railway Museum of BC property and use CN (Canadian National Railway) tracks as part of the route.
From the Museum, trains will travel by the local mountains next to the Museum, North on CN tracks close to, or across, the rail bridge over the Squamish River. We then proceed South through town, past the Northyards residential complex on one side and the industrial facilities of our MP2 maintenance shops on the other. We then travel through the rail yard and into the forest towards the Squamish Estuary wetlands, where mountain rivers runoff into the ocean at the Squamish Terminals shipping port.
We’ll stop for a few minutes at the terminal, with views of Stawamus Chief and the Estuary towards the rear of the Train. The train will then return via the same route.
All trains depart from, and return to, our Squamish Station at the Railway Museum of BC.
FAQ – Got questions?
Get answers to Frequently Asked Questions here.
Accessibility Info
Our coaches are accessible, but we have limited wheelchair capacity available.
There is only ONE dedicated Wheelchair Station per train departure!
Please CONTACT US for all ticketing and wheelchair accessibility inquiries.
Call us and leave a message with at 604-898-9336, Ext. #2011, or email us at:
northpoleexpress@wcra.org.
We’re available Monday – Friday, 9 am – 12 pm. We’ll respond as quickly as possible to messages received over the weekend.
We look forward to welcoming you back! You’ll see familiar faces and feel lots of good cheer.
All of us at RMBC are committed to providing you the best possible experience and fond memories when you visit us.
Thanks to our volunteers for making dreams come to life and history come alive.
Our annual Holiday and Christmas celebrations are sure to be fun for the whole Family! On board the train we’ll be singing Christmas Carols and Holiday songs as we celebrate the arrival of Santa for Christmas.
Your fun filled train ride on the North Pole Express features live entertainment on board, chocolate chip cookies, candy canes and Christmas decorations before arriving at the North Pole for a visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU!
Come for a ride on our Holiday Mini-rail train!
Explore our Holiday Model Train Displays.
Enjoy lots of fun activities in Santa’s Workshop! Shop for Christmas merchandise in our gift shop.
Enjoy live Christmas music entertainment.
There’s lots to see and do at the Railway Museum of British Columbia during our North Pole Express event.
If you didn’t get a chance to ride with us last time, become a member and join our mailing list to get notifications and early bird access for all our events!
For further information, contact us by email at northpoleexpress@wcra.org
Reviews: What are our guests saying?
Dec. 2023: “Overall great experience at the North Pole Express. It was maybe a tad too long for young kids but the actors/actresses on board were so great at keeping it lively and festive. After the train ride we went to the North Pole to see the little train sets, get some hot chocolate, dance to live music and pick out some gifts with our tickets. If we go again next year we will definitely line up for the mini train through candy lane. It looked pretty fun for the kids we just ran out of time!”
Nov. 2023: “Had a fantastic time at the North Pole Christmas train in Squamish. Great, festive event for kids and family. They do a fantastic job at the Railway Museum. I’d highly recommend. Book early too!”
Nov. 2023: “Took the kids during their North Pole event, and it was a great time all around. Worth the trip to Squamish for the day, or even to spend an overnighter.”
Nov. 2023: “Went for our first time to the polar express christmas train! It was AMAZING!!! The train had singing, cookies, and entertainment…my three year old was just all smiles. Santa at the north pole took their time and we got some really awesome pics! The mini train through the candy cane lane was a highlight…so well done.
There were lots of cool trains to look at and many other activies like cookie decorating, crafts and more. It was just so so so awesome!”
Dec 14, 2022: “My family and friends took our children to the Polar Express and it was magical! Santa and Mrs. Claus were so special! Our six-year-old and three-year-old were mesmerized by the whole experience. Very well done and we were so impressed by the team of volunteers who put this production on. Thank you!”
Dec 5, 2022: “We have made the trip to Squamish 3 years for this event. Our family love it. Each year it gets better and better. The main event is the train ride, it is so much fun for the kids and us parents. We have 4 children and our older ones enjoyed it at 12 yo and 10 yo, and if you have little ones they’re really love it. We’ve gone both day and night; the day is lovely to see beautiful Squamish and the night is magical and twinkling. This is a non-profit, so it’s very volunteer oriented, but it keeps the cost reasonable for a big family to enjoy some holiday cheer. Can’t recommend this enough! Buy tickets in November, it sells out.”
Dec 5, 2022: “Cool Place to go before Christmas. Like the atmosphere!”
Dec 4, 2022: “The North Pole Express, is an awesome family experience for all ages. A great time to make memories and to capture photos to last a lifetime ✨️ “
Nov 27, 2022: “We joined the North Pole Express train ride and it was one of the best Christmas events we have ever been to. Would recommend it to families with little children.”