Fixing the Stanley Park Train could involve a new private operator | Daily Hive

Fixing the Stanley Park Train could involve a new private operator amid rising costs for operations and repairs

Stanley Park Train. (Vancouver Park Board)

The saga of keeping the Stanley Park Train operational and in a condition of good repair continues, with the Vancouver Park Board signalling it will consider a private sector partnership to both run and improve the popular amusement ride attraction.

Park Board staff state they have received multiple unsolicited proposals over the past five years for business partnerships at the miniature railway site in Stanley Park.

Park Board staff stated that they will consult with local First Nations as well as labour unions before launching a formal preliminary bidding process for a private partner, as opposed to the current in-house operation led by the municipal government.

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The bidding process will be launched later in 2025, with the findings — comparing the options from private sector proposals and continued municipal operations, and a more detailed estimate of the costs — to be presented to Park Board commissioners for a decision in early 2026.

This could provide a third party with the opportunity to reimagine the themed attraction, which now needs an estimated $8 million in repairs, upgrades, and maintenance work, including the replacement of the tracks and the Park Board’s desire to switch the trains to battery-electric propulsion.

According to Park Board staff, a new private operator could fund the necessary major fixes and improvements, create “new dynamic destination attractions to drive visitors to Stanley Park,” and “provide a more reliable and predictable revenue stream.” It is suggested that the Park Board does not have the financial or resource capacity to fix the deficiencies and improve the attraction to meet its full potential.

As well, Park Board staff suggest the possibility of new Indigenous theming through consultation with First Nations.

Stanley Park Train during the Easter weekend operating season. (Vancouver Park Board)

The attraction has cumulatively lost about $3 million since 2020 due to substantially higher operating costs and lower revenues. This is due not only to the significantly higher operating costs emerging out of the pandemic and the attraction’s minimum maintenance requirements, but also because of a steep dive in ticketing revenue as a direct result of the far lower attraction capacity, as not all locomotives and passenger carriages have been sufficiently repaired.

There has been an exceedingly high demand for the attraction, with ticket sales conducted online only — no in-person sales — selling out within hours upon launch.

Prior to the pandemic and prolonged maintenance closure, when provincial regulators suspended the operating permit due to the attraction’s poor condition, the Stanley Park Train had a historical capacity of four locomotives and 13 passenger carriages, including two accessible passenger carriages. Three of the original 13 passenger carriages were recently decommissioned, including both accessible passenger carriages.

Originally built in 1964, the Stanley Park Train’s miniature railway runs two km through the park’s forest, within an area that was damaged by Typhoon Freda. Much of the locomotive equipment also dates back to this period.

Park Board staff are turning to potential private sector solutions following the attraction’s sudden shutdown in the middle of the Bright Nights Christmas 2024 operating season, following a safety incident with a train locomotive. During a public meeting on Monday evening, Park Board staff reaffirmed that the Stanley Park Train will remain closed throughout 2025 due to ongoing and escalating safety risks, with the Halloween Ghost Train and Bright Nights Christmas 2025 operating season effectively cancelled.

Stanley Park Train during the Bright Nights Christmas season. (Vancouver Park Board)

Furthermore, the Park Board and City of Vancouver’s inability to adequately resolve the operational and maintenance issues with what is a relatively simple amusement ride attraction has now been qualified as a “reputational risk,” essentially an embarrassment, reflecting poorly on the municipal government.

“In addition to safety risks, there are also financial risks associated with the train, including the past inability to appropriately invest in the site and the potential significant capital investments needed to upgrade the train and associated facilities,” said John Brodie, Director of Business Services for the Park Board, during the meeting.

“There are also a host of reputational risks related to public perception and potential impacts of the Park Board’s partnership with the Burn Fund.”

Prior to the pandemic, the Bright Nights lights display at the miniature railway site raised about $300,000 annually for the B.C. Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund. It was also suggested previously that the Park Board, over time, has lost in-house institutional expertise in operating and maintaining the attraction.

Any solution to restart the attraction, whether it be through a private partner or a continued municipal operation, could be about two or more years away.

Under continued municipal operations, following the necessary repairs, the Stanley Park Train would continue to have a limited operating period each year — Easter Train, the summer period, Halloween Ghost Train, and Bright Nights Christmas Train — attracting approximately 150,000 visitors per year. This continues the attraction’s appeal primarily for families with young children.

But with a private partner, the attraction could potentially see further reinvestment and upgrades than what can be afforded by the Park Board and City, operate year-round, and have a broader general appeal and transform into a tourist attraction. This could potentially boost annual ridership to up to 400,000 visitors per year, and there would be far higher sponsorship opportunities.

However, Park Board staff noted that a private partner would likely result in an increase in the admission fees.

“There’s a trade off in terms of accessibility, capital investment and financial performance,” said Brodie.

Stanley Park Train during the Easter weekend operating season. (Vancouver Park Board)

One example of a private company overseeing the operations, maintenance, and improvements of an amusement attraction is Toronto Island’s Centreville Amusement Park, which is owned by the City of Toronto and has been operated by the same family-owned company since the 1960s. It has numerous themed experiences and amusement rides, including a similar miniature railway.

If the Stanley Park Train pivots to a private sector operator, this would align with the Park Board’s overall “Think Big” strategy of raising significant new revenues through business partnerships that offer new attractions, experiences, and services within Vancouver’s parks and recreation system.

Earlier in 2025, Park Board staff shared that they have received about 60 unsolicited proposals from businesses and organizations within the first year of launching an unsolicited proposal submission process, including proposals for new destination attractions.

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