The Stanley Park Train has experienced another hiccup, resulting in the cancellation of all scheduled Easter train rides today, Saturday, March 30.
In a bulletin this morning, the Vancouver Park Board states a section of track was damaged in a “minor incident” on Friday evening, when the train was being transported for overnight storage. No guests were on site and no staff were injured.
All ticket holders for Saturday will be automatically refunded through the ShowPass account they used to purchase the ticket. Sunday and Monday ticket holders will also have the option to refund their tickets.
The Easter train operating season for the Stanley Park Train lasts for just four days over the Easter long weekend. Prior to the long weekend, all tickets already sold out.
It is not immediately clear when the Stanley Park Train will be able to restart service — if it will be able to resume operations for the remaining two Easter train scheduled days of Sunday and Monday.
According to the Park Board, its preliminary assessments suggest that the damage is minor. Today’s closure will allow maintenance by contractors and a thorough safety inspection by Technical Safety BC.
“We are fully committed to getting the train back up and running as quickly as possible,” reads the bulletin by the Park Board.
“We understand the excitement and anticipation that comes with a visit to the Stanley Park Easter Train and apologize for the disappointment this news may cause.”
The Stanley Park Train first reopened in late 2023, just in time for the Bright Nights Christmas Train operating season. Over the past few years, the attraction’s prolonged closure was due to the pandemic initially, but after health safety restrictions were lifted, it was later deemed inoperable by Technical Safety BC due to the Park Board’s apparent poor maintenance practices.
In order to reopen the Stanley Park Train in time for the 2023 Bright Nights Christmas operating season, a reinvestment of $650,000 was provided to cover the costs of fixing the tracks and one of the four locomotives of the attraction’s fleet. Most of these initial repairs were covered by a $500,000 private donation.