The deepest Christmas-train bench in the country — six railways, Island to Okanagan.
British Columbia runs the deepest Christmas-train bench in Canada, and the six railways below are not six versions of the same ride. In Squamish, the Railway Museum of British Columbia runs full-size North Pole Express trains through November and December. On Vancouver Island, the BC Forest Discovery Centre's Christmas Express runs at Duncan from late November to just before Christmas, and at Port Alberni the Alberni Pacific's Santa trains bookend its season. In the Okanagan, the Kettle Valley Steam Railway steams its Christmas Express through much of December.
Closer to Vancouver, Surrey offers two very different evenings: the Fraser Valley Heritage Railway's Christmas Electric Express aboard its restored interurban cars — its Halloween and Christmas trains both sold out in the most recent season — and the Bear Creek Park Train, a miniature railway (labelled as such on its card) whose Christmas Train runs from December 1 into the first days of January. The pattern to plan around is the same everywhere on this page: these are typical seasons, the famous trains sell out, and the operator's own fall calendar is the one to book from.
Port Alberni, BC · British Columbia
SeasonJun-Sep weekends, plus spring/fall and holiday specials (Easter, Halloween, Santa)
A revived Vancouver Island heritage line running two trips from Port Alberni's waterfront station: a diesel-hauled Alberni Express through the summer, and steam behind restored 1929 Baldwin No. 7, back in service after a full rebuild.
Official site ↗✓ Last verified: November 2026
Duncan, BC · British Columbia
SeasonApr-Sep (Thu-Mon), plus Halloween and Christmas Express specials Oct-Dec
A 100-acre forestry museum in the Cowichan Valley where admission includes a ride on 2.5 km of narrow-gauge track — steam (Hillcrest Shay No. 1) on summer weekends and for the Christmas Express, the little 'Green Hornet' on other days.
Official site ↗✓ Last verified: November 2026
Surrey (Cloverdale), BC · British Columbia
SeasonMay-Sep weekends, plus Halloween and Christmas (Electric Express) specials
Restored BC Electric interurban car 1225 runs the Heritage Rail Adventure on Saturdays and the 55-minute Sullivan Excursion on Sundays from Cloverdale Station — big-city electric railroading as it was a century ago.
TripHeritage Rail Adventure about 60 minutes; Sullivan Excursion about 55 minutesAccessStation and interurban are accessible; wheelchair passengers transfer to the railway's transit wheelchair to pass the interurban's narrow doorways. The Honeybee Express is accessible.ParkingPassenger parking on the east (Hwy 10) side of Cloverdale Station.
Official site ↗✓ Last verified: November 2026
Summerland, BC · British Columbia
SeasonMay-mid-Oct scenic runs, plus fall specials and Christmas Express in Dec
Ninety minutes behind ex-Canadian Pacific steam locomotive No. 3716 on the last surviving piece of the Kettle Valley Railway, climbing above Okanagan Lake to the Trout Creek Trestle — plus the famous Great Train Robbery and a December Christmas Express.
Trip1.5 hours (about 90 minutes)FaresScenic Run: Adult $35 / Senior $32 / Youth $30 / Child $24 (+ GST & booking fee); infants 2 & under free AccessStation and coaches are wheelchair accessible, with a limited number of accessible spaces — book early if you need one.ParkingStation parking lot, for train passengers only.
Official site ↗✓ Last verified: November 2026
Squamish, BC · British Columbia
SeasonSaturdays mid-Apr-Oct, plus special-event weekends and North Pole Express Nov-Dec
The West Coast Railway Association's Squamish museum runs full-size rides on Saturdays and event days — a BC Rail Budd car out onto the main-line spur, track speeders, and the North Pole Express in the holidays — beside one of Canada's largest preserved passenger-car collections. (A separate miniature railway on site is not counted here.)
AccessAccess2 program participant — a support person accompanying a visitor with a permanent disability gets free admission.
Official site ↗✓ Last verified: November 2026
Surrey, BC · British Columbia
SeasonSeasonal event trains; Christmas Train Dec 1 – Jan 3
Surrey's Bear Creek Park train reinvents itself with the seasons — best known for its Christmas Train, which runs a day train and a Wednesday–Sunday night train from December 1 to January 3.
Fares$12.50 per person (Christmas Train); children under 2 free
Official site ↗✓ Last verified: November 2026
The full picture: this page is one province's slice of the Christmas trains calendar, which covers every holiday train in Canada — and the British Columbia 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.
