Estimated $360,000 cost to repair Stanley Park miniature train

Stanley Park miniature train. (City of Vancouver)

There is still no firm timeline on when the popular Stanley Park miniature train could reopen, but an effort is underway by the Vancouver Park Board to potentially have the attraction repaired by Fall 2023 through an “expedited path forward” — in time for the upcoming Halloween and Christmas operating seasons.

In a memo earlier this month, Park Board staff told the elected commissioners they are working closely with a consultant to bring back the attraction to a condition of good repair in order to allow for its safe reopening.

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The attraction’s operating seasons were cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic, and again in 2021 from the ongoing health safety restrictions.

But the closure continued into 2022 when health safety restrictions were lifted, at which point the Park Board stated there were mechanical issues with the train’s antique engines and passengers’ cars, and the vehicles failed an inspection by Technical Safety BC.

At the time, Technical Safety BC indicated there were “corrosion and damage to both track lines and railcars,” and “overgrown vegetation disrupting sightlines and decaying infrastructure.”

The closure of the miniature train has had a financial impact on the Firefighters Burn Fund, which organizes the annual Christmas-time Bright Nights event in Stanley Park as a major fundraising effort for their charitable organization.

According to Park Board staff, the estimated cost for repairing the train is now $360,000, including $260,000 for the parts to bring the single-engine and passenger cars into commission, and $100,000 for labour. It is noted that due to limited funding, the commissioners may be asked to approve funding reallocations once the full costs are established.

It could take up to five months for the parts to be delivered by the manufacturer.

Stanley Park Train during Bright Nights (Univaded Fox/Flickr)

Stanley Park Train during Easter (Stanley Park Railway)

According to Park Board staff, the train is one of two attractions in North America that operate multiple trains of such a gauge and vintage. Its manufacturer no longer produces 20-gauge trains or undercarriage components, and there has also been a loss of City staff with expertise in train maintenance.

Park Board staff also note they had a “limited preventative maintenance plan” for the attraction. This was compounded by the pandemic’s earlier impacts, with issues that had been identified before 2020 unaddressed.

Prior to the prolonged closure of the attraction, they performed maintenance three times a year, just before the operating seasons of Easter, Ghost Train (Halloween), and Bright Nights (Christmas).

“The manufacturer’s specifications detail maintenance needs after specific operating intervals, which becomes increasingly important as assets age, as older equipment requires more frequent inspection and attention,” reads the memo.

The miniature train route inside Stanley Park spans a length of 2 km through the forest and takes 15 minutes to complete a loop. Prior to the pandemic, the train saw about 200,000 visitors each year during its limited operating seasons.

The original miniature train in Stanley Park first opened in 1947. The current attraction first went into service in 1964 and is a replica of Canadian Pacific Railway #374, which is known for being the first transcontinental passenger train to arrive in Vancouver.

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