The Stanley Park Ghost Train is coming back. Here's how to get tickets.

Decorations from the annual Stanley Park Ghost Train are seen in an image from October 2019. (Instagram: StanleyParkRailway/Tim Matheson)

The Stanley Park Ghost Train is back after a years-long hiatus and the Vancouver Park Board is promising a "spectacularly spooky" experience for those who manage to secure tickets.

The Halloween-themed train has been out of commission since 2019 – taken off the tracks due to the pandemic, concerns over coyote attacks in the park and technical issues.

But on the evening of Oct.10 it will be back and it will run day through Halloween – with the exception of Thanksgiving – from 6 to 10 p.m. On weekends, the train will also run between 2 and 5 p.m.

"Riding the Ghost Train is a time-honoured tradition for many families in Vancouver, and we are thrilled to have it back on track and able to once again offer this experience to residents and visitors alike,” said Brennan Bastyovanszky, park board chair, in a statement.

Tickets go on sale Sept. 25 at noon and are exclusively available online. People will be able to join a web-based queue starting at 11:30 a.m. and will be randomly assigned a spot in the virtual purchasing line. After noon, tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

"Riders will travel through the eerie woods of Stanley Park, transformed into a haunted cemetery, where they will encounter imaginative characters and captivating theatrical performances," the announcement from the park board said.

Last year, when the train returned for the Bright Nights event, 23,000 tickets sold out within 90 minutes. Some who tried to purchase them expressed frustration with technical issues, while others who successfully snagged a spot on the train re-sold their tickets at inflated prices online.

Another issue with the return of the train – which Mayor Ken Sim announced by exclaiming "It's back, baby!" – was the absence of an accessible carriage. One has since been added and people who use wheelchairs can get free tickets, for themselves and a support person, by calling 1-844-307-7469 on Sept. 25 between 9 and 11 a.m.

Additional details are available online.