The Polar Express at Caledonian Railway

Do you believe? We do at the Caledonian Railway and that is why we are proud to be hosting an exciting magical experience like no other. THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride is coming to the Caledonian Railway this Christmas with the magic of the 2004 motion picture THE POLAR EXPRESS™ being theatrically re-created so you and your family can be immersed in the sights, sounds and intrigue of this classic children’s tale.

Come and join us for this fantastic event and immerse yourself in the magic and wonder of the Christmas season.

As you and your family take in the festive decorations at THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride station, you can almost hear the faint sound of sleigh bells in the distance and the fun begins.

THE POLAR EXPRESS™ is waiting for you at the platform. Wait for the train Conductor to invite you and the other passengers to climb aboard, shouting “All aboooooard!”. Anticipation builds as you are served cookies and hot chocolate – step onto the Train to be escorted to your seat by the Chefs from the film.

Before long, scenes from the film come to life as dancing Chefs and Waiters arrive. Children (and the young at heart!) are invited to engage with these exciting characters who are eager to hear from the youngsters about what makes the Christmas season special to them.

While the train travels to the North Pole you will hear the story of The Polar Express with Chefs showing pages from the beautifully illustrated book for the whole carriage to follow.

As your adventure continues, you notice other key elements of the story — both inside and outside your train — springing to life. Watch and listen as another scene unfolds on-board before your eyes.

Upon arrival at the North Pole, keep your eyes peeled for Santa’s sleigh, a bag of toys and a giant Christmas tree. Watch out for Santa waving and, when the train stops, listen out for the carriage door to slam as Santa gets on board. After the train departs the North Pole for the return voyage home, you soon notice that the adventure isn’t over. Santa appears in your midst to present each passenger with their very own “First Gift of Christmas”, a silver bell from his sleigh.

Chefs on board lead the passengers in singing favourite Christmas Carols as the train heads back to Brechin Station.

We encourage our guests, young and old to wear pyjamas just as in the Film. Children love it and if you can persuade our older guests, Mums, Dads, Granny and Grandpa to also join in, the atmosphere in the train comes alive for a truly magical experience!

Ticket Types

Tickets for The Polar Express Train Ride at the Caledonian Railway can only be booked online through our ticketing agent. This is the only place where tickets can be bought – we are not selling tickets through any other means. There will also be no on-the-day ticket sales.

We have two ticket options available to customers;

Standard Tickets (from £30.95 to £42.95):

• All passengers receive a Silver Sleigh Bell from Santa – the first gift of Christmas.
• All passengers in our Standard Class carriages receive a freshly baked cookie and cup of hot chocolate.
• Standard seating is arranged in tables of 4. Please take this into consideration during your booking.

Premium Tickets (from £43.95 to £53.95):

• Premium ticket holders get their very own private compartment onboard our train – perfect for groups of up to 8 people!
• All passengers receive a Silver Sleigh Bell from Santa – the first gift of Christmas.
• All passengers in our Premium Class carriages receive a freshly baked cookie and cup of hot chocolate in a Polar Express™ disposable cup.
• A unique for this year Souvenir Polar Express™ Ceramic Mug and Bag to take home, these are not available to buy in the shop!
• Free car parking is available at Brechin Station for Premium ticket holders.

Please Note that “Babies on Lap” do not receive Golden Tickets, Souvenir Mugs and Bags, Silver Bells, Hot Chocolate or Cookies.

Accessibility

A wheelchair friendly accessible saloon is available on the train. Please email us at polarexpress@caledonianrailway.com to book tickets in this section.