Stanley Park miniature train won't be fixed in time for Halloween

Stanley Park miniature train. (City of Vancouver)

For yet another Halloween season, the Stanley Park miniature train will not be operational.

In a bulletin today, the Vancouver Park Board announced the attraction will not be fixed in time for the Stanley Park Ghost Train’s operating season.

“At this time, all the necessary parts have been successfully acquired and teams are hard at work taking on additional repairs and testing to guarantee the train’s safe operation to get it back in service as soon as possible,” reads the bulletin.

You might also like:

But they state the goal now is to complete the necessary work in November, contingent upon approval from provincial regulator Technical Safety BC. This suggests a potential reopening timed with the Bright Nights Christmas Train season.

The annual month-long Bright Nights tradition at Stanley Park is organized by volunteers, and it is the largest fundraiser benefiting the BC Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund. The operation of the train significantly increases the amount raised through greater attendance.

Stanley Park miniature train’s Ghost Train season. (alyywallace/Instagram)

Stanley Park miniature train’s Bright Night season. (Univaded Fox/Flickr)

The train has seen highly limited operations since the 2019 Christmas season — initially due to the pandemic’s health safety regulations through April 2022, when the train briefly reopened for an Easter event. But operations for Ghost Train and Bright Nights later in 2022 were cancelled due to mechanical issues.

At the time, Technical Safety BC stated the attraction did not pass safety inspections and listed issues such as corrosion and damage to the tracks and railcars, overgrown vegetation disrupting sightlines, and decaying infrastructure. The Park Board stated it uses “vintage train equipment,” some of which is more than 60 years old and requires specialized parts that are difficult to obtain.

In June 2023, Park Board staff indicated the estimated cost for repairing the train is up to $360,000, including $260,000 for parts to bring the single-engine and passenger cars into a state of good repair and $100,000 for labour. It was also noted that it would take up to five months for the parts to arrive.

Stanley Park miniature train’s Easter Train season. (Vancouver Park Board)

You might also like: