All tickets for the Stanley Park Train from Saturday, December 14, 2024 to early next week have been cancelled.
The Vancouver Park Board announced today that it is suspending train operations until further notice due to a worker safety incident that occurred on the evening of Friday, December 13.
Details of the safety incident were not disclosed, but the Park Board stated that it involved one of its train operators.
“The incident has been reported to the City’s Occupational Health and Safety team who will be following all required protocols to investigate. While this is underway, train operations need to be suspended to ensure the safety of our staff,” reads a bulletin by the Park Board today.
Operators are working to notify and refund all ticket holders with reservations for this weekend and early next week.
Although the Stanley Park Train is temporarily closed for the safety investigation, the elaborate Bright Nights Christmas light displays, benefiting the BC Professional Firefighters’ Burn Fund, located next to the train attraction, will remain open.
However, access to Stanley Park is closed today as a precautionary measure due to high winds. Today’s closure follows numerous tree falls, with many trees already weakened by the hemlock looper outbreak.
The attraction faced other temporary operational challenges earlier this week, as ticketholders experienced longer-than-usual waits due to staff illnesses, which limited operations to only a single locomotive.
“We are very sorry as we understand the inconvenience and disappointment this represents for everyone who were looking forward to enjoying this beloved holiday tradition with their friends and loved ones,” continues the bulletin.
Throughout the Christmas season, the Stanley Park Train is running nightly from November 29, 2024, to January 4, 2025 (except Christmas Day). All tickets were quickly sold out due to the attraction’s popularity and the reduced capacity compared to pre-pandemic operations, which is a result of fewer locomotives being in use. There are ongoing efforts to repair more locomotives to reintroduce the attraction’s historical capacity.
There was also immense public criticism last month over the continued issues with the online ticketing system and the lack of any option for in-person ticket sales.