Three trains, honestly counted — including the two licensed Polar Express runs.
Alberta is where Canada's Polar Express lives. Two of the three railways below run THE POLAR EXPRESS™ under licence — Alberta Prairie Railway Excursions from Stettler and the Aspen Crossing Railway from Mossleigh — both billed under that name by the operators themselves, and both running from November into the last days before Christmas. The note below the list explains the name, because it matters: no other Christmas train in the province is that production, whatever the hot chocolate suggests.
The third is a different pleasure entirely: Battle River Train Excursions' Santa Daze run from Forestburg to Alliance in mid-December — a not-for-profit community train, themed like everything Forestburg does, and run by the volunteers who keep it alive. Three trains is a short list, but it is the whole honest list for Alberta — and the two Polar Express runs are among the fastest-selling train tickets in the province, so this is a page to act on early.
Stettler, AB · Alberta
SeasonMay-Oct themed/dinner excursions, plus Polar Express Nov-Dec
Vintage 1920s coaches behind steam or diesel out of Stettler, most trips themed — meals, onboard entertainment and a staged train robbery on the run to Big Valley or Warden Junction — ending the year with Polar Express trains.
Official site ↗✓ Last verified: November 2026
Mossleigh, AB · Alberta
SeasonMay-Dec themed excursions (near year-round specials)
A prairie resort on a former branch line running a dozen-plus themed trains a season — the 3.5-hour Great Alberta Prairie Tour with its Mossleigh grain-elevator stop, brunch and dinner trains, an October Train of Terror and Polar Express in December. Trains are not wheelchair accessible.
Official site ↗✓ Last verified: November 2026
Forestburg, AB · Alberta
SeasonMay-Dec, a handful of themed excursion days
A not-for-profit 1950s coach over a working short line, running a handful of big-hearted themed days a year — Sip n' Ride, Farm to Fork, a November murder mystery and the Santa Daze run to Alliance.
Official site ↗✓ Last verified: November 2026
About the Polar Express name. THE POLAR EXPRESS™ is a licensed production — the name belongs to the licence, not to any Christmas train with hot chocolate. In this calendar it runs at two Alberta railways, billed under that name by the operators themselves: Alberta Prairie Railway Excursions at Stettler, and Aspen Crossing Railway at Mossleigh. Every other railway here runs its own holiday trains under its own names — Santa trains, Christmas Expresses, North Pole Expresses. Best Train Rides is an independent guide, not affiliated with any of them.
The full picture: this page is one province's slice of the Christmas trains calendar, which covers every holiday train in Canada — and the Alberta directory page lists this province's railways for the whole year, not just the holidays. Seasons here are typical patterns from the operators' own calendars — always confirm this year's dates with the operator before you travel.
