Stanley Park Train to remain offline this spring

The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation regrets to announce that the Stanley Park Train will not be back in operation in time for our popular Easter Train event. The train will need to remain offline for the foreseeable future.

“Our staff have been working tirelessly to get the train back on track for Easter and we recognize how disappointing this news is for so many people and their families,” says Steve Jackson, General Manager of the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation.

Train operations have been suspended since late last year when emission safety concerns prompted the cancellation of the Bright Nights Christmas Train. Recent testing of the locomotive engines, all of which are 50 years old or more and showing signs of their age, indicates efforts to address emissions concerns were unsuccessful.  

“Our mechanics have a high degree of expertise working on the train’s aged combustion engines and have been working tirelessly with the Park Board’s external third-party train engineer on designing solutions to the exhaust issue,” says Lon LaClaire, General Manager of Engineering Services for the City of Vancouver. “Unfortunately, through this work, it’s become clear that refurbishing the aged engines to meet the regulatory requirements and return them to service does not have a clear solution.” 

Over the past several years, numerous steps have been taken to extend the functional lifespan of the Stanley Park Train. However, this latest closure puts in question the operational and financial viability of operating the train with the existing combustion engines. 

Staff are therefore undertaking a comprehensive analysis of potential paths forward which they will present to Park Board Commissioners for consideration in June 2025.