Stanley Park Easter Train will include accessible car, park board confirms

The Stanley Park Easter Train will include an accessible car for children in wheelchairs, the Vancouver Park Board confirmed Friday.

Tickets are not yet available for the event, but the Stanley Park Railway said the train will be operational on the Easter long weekend, and that more details will be provided in the coming days.

The decision to reopen the popular attraction without the accessible car for the 2023 Bright Nights event was met with disappointment from parents of children with disabilities and others – including board vice-chair Scott Jensen.

In a social media post Friday, Jensen said he was "saddened" when Mayor Ken Sim announced the return of the train last November by proclaiming, "It's back, baby!"

"It wasn't. It wasn't back for all," Jensen wrote. "It is now.”

The train suffered a series of closures over recent years, first due to the COVID-19 pandemic then due to mechanical issues.

When the city reopened the attraction last fall, only one of four locomotives and three of 13 carriages were repaired and ready for use. Two other carriages were added weeks later.

It’s unclear whether any additional repairs have been completed apart from the accessible car, which would allow for more capacity – but if the Easter event is anything like the Bright Nights event, anyone wanting to attend will likely have to purchase a ticket early.

The Vancouver Park Board sold tickets to the Bright Nights train in two batches – an initial batch of 23,000 tickets followed by a second batch of 17,000 tickets – and each was sold out within hours.