Polar Express Train Ride Locations (2026): A Complete Guide
Last revised: August 24, 2026
By: Adam Burns
This directory lists licensed THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride events for 2026—the official holiday production based on Chris Van Allsburg’s book and the Warner Bros. film, staged by Rail Events Inc. with tourist railroads and museums. Pick a state guide for the short version, then a railroad page for dates, classes, and booking. American-Rails.com does not sell tickets. Always confirm times and prices on the railroad’s own Polar page before you travel.
Santa trains, North Pole Express rides, and Christmas with the Clauses events are holiday trains, but they are not Polar Express. Those belong on the Christmas trains hub.
On this page: What the ride is · Polar Express vs other Christmas trains · How to use these pages · 2026 U.S. directory · Planning tips · Book and film · Canada and overseas
A licensed THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride in North Carolina at the very popular Great Smoky Mountains Railroad based in Bryson City. GSMR photo.
What the Ride Is
A licensed Polar Express train is a timed holiday show on a real railroad. You wear pajamas if you want, board with a golden ticket, hear the story, drink hot chocolate, and meet Santa, who gives children the silver bell. Most rides last about an hour. Some hosts use steam when they have it; many use diesel. Steam is not guaranteed unless that railroad says so for Polar dates.
Rail Events Inc. licenses the name, the story, and the merchandising. Each railroad runs its own calendar and ticket site. The official locator is on the Rail Events Polar Express page. Use that list plus the state pages here. If a ride is not on Rail Events and not on these pages, treat it as a Christmas train until proven otherwise.
Polar Express vs Other Christmas Trains
Many railroads run Santa trains, North Pole Express, Elf Express, or Christmas with the Clauses. Those can be wonderful. They are not Polar Express. Buy Polar tickets on the Polar booking page for that railroad. A daytime scenic adult/child fare is a different product.
Examples that are not Polar Express (see the Christmas hub instead):
- Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad North Pole Adventure (Ohio)
- Grapevine, Texas Santa’s North Pole Express
- Florida Railroad Museum North Pole Express (Parrish)
- Mount Rainier Scenic Christmas with the Clauses (Elbe, Washington)
- Nevada Northern Santa’s Reindeer Flyer (Ely)
- Midland Railway Snowglobe Express (Baldwin City, Kansas)—the old version of this national page listed Midland as Polar; it is not confirmed as licensed Polar for 2026
- Pacific Southwest Railway Museum North Pole Limited (Campo, California)
- Steam Railroading Institute trains behind Pere Marquette 2-8-4 #1225 (the movie locomotive). The film used #1225. That does not make Owosso’s holiday train Polar Express.
Full Christmas-train directory: Christmas Train Rides.
How to Use These Pages
- State guide — which licensed Polar rides are in that state, in plain language, with dates and a booking warning.
- Railroad page — classes, parking, sale date, and the operator link. Those URLs often end in
-polar26.html(Chehalis keeps its older slug, chehalispolar.html). - The railroad’s own Polar page — the only place to buy. We do not sell tickets.
Florida has a state page so old Miami Polar searches do not look like a 2026 show. There is no licensed Florida Polar confirmed for 2026.
2026 U.S. Directory
Only states with a 2026 licensed Polar Express page on this site, plus Florida’s wall page. Hosts and windows below are summaries. Open the state guide before you book.
| State | 2026 licensed host(s) | Notes | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | Grand Canyon Railway, Williams | Nightly Polar typical 5:30 & 7:30 p.m., about 90 minutes | Arizona · GCR Polar |
| California | CSRM Sacramento; Railtown 1897 Jamestown; SCRM Perris | Fillmore closed 2021. Campo North Pole Limited is not Polar. | California |
| Colorado | Durango & Silverton; Colorado Railroad Museum, Golden | Narrow-gauge steam icon at Durango; museum shows at Golden | Colorado |
| Florida | None confirmed | Miami Polar closed. Parrish North Pole Express is not Polar. | Florida |
| Illinois | Monticello Railway Museum | Tickets listed Sept. 12 from the Wabash Depot | Illinois |
| Indiana | French Lick Scenic Railway | About 65 minutes through Flat Top tunnel. Whitewater Valley is not promoted (flood suspension). | Indiana |
| Kentucky | Big South Fork Scenic Railway, Stearns | About mid-November through December 23 | Kentucky |
| Louisiana | New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal | Coach; select November/December dates | Louisiana |
| Maine | Maine Narrow Gauge, Portland Ocean Gateway | Two-foot gauge; about 50 minutes; Nov. 20–Dec. 28 | Maine |
| Maryland | Western Maryland Scenic, Cumberland | About 60 minutes; Heritage Fee on tickets | Maryland |
| Massachusetts | Cape Cod Central, Buzzards Bay | Not Hyannis. About 1½ hours; Nov. 20–Dec. 23 | Massachusetts |
| Missouri | St. Louis Union Station; Branson Scenic Railway | Two licensed hosts | Missouri |
| Nevada | Virginia & Truckee, Eastgate Depot, Carson City | Not Virginia City Candy Cane. Ely Santa’s Reindeer Flyer is not Polar. | Nevada |
| New Jersey | Whippany (Morristown & Erie); Delaware River, Phillipsburg | Two licensed hosts | New Jersey |
| New York | Medina Railroad Museum; North Fork Trolley, Calverton | North Fork sale Sept. 15 | New York |
| North Carolina | Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, Bryson City; N.C. Transportation Museum, Spencer | GSMR tickets already on sale for 2026 | North Carolina |
| Ohio | Dennison Railroad Depot Museum | Dec. 3–6 and 10–13 only. CVSR North Pole Adventure is not Polar. | Ohio |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma Railway Museum, Oklahoma City | Select Nov. 20–Dec. 31; Coach and First Class | Oklahoma |
| Oregon | Mount Hood Railroad, Hood River | Nov. 20, 2026 – Jan. 2, 2027. Tickets Sept. 1. Polar Bell Award host. | Oregon |
| Rhode Island | Blackstone Valley Polar Express, Woonsocket | Longest-running licensed Polar host; Fri–Sun Nov. 6–Dec. 20 | Rhode Island |
| Texas | Texas State Railroad, Palestine; Galveston Railroad Museum | Grapevine Santa is not Polar. TSRR Polar is diesel in 2026. | Texas |
| Vermont | Vermont Children’s Trust, Burlington | Dec. 5–6 only. About 20 minutes on the train plus Union Station North Pole. | Vermont |
| Washington | Chehalis-Centralia Railroad & Museum | Tickets Sept. 1 at 12:01 a.m. online. Nov. 14–Dec. 20 weekends. Christmas with the Clauses is not Polar. | Washington · Chehalis Polar |
| Wisconsin | National Railroad Museum, Green Bay | Nov. 20–Dec. 13 Fri–Sun. 2026 tickets sold out July 25. | Wisconsin |
Information compiled August 24, 2026. Calendars move. Confirm on each railroad before you buy. A full official map is on raileventsinc.com.
Planning Tips
- Popular dates sell out. Several 2026 sales are already open; others open in September. Green Bay is already sold out.
- Buy the Polar Express product, not a regular scenic ticket for the same railroad.
- Pajamas are welcome at almost every host. Bring a coat for the platform.
- Arrive as early as that railroad asks—often 45–60 minutes before departure.
- Steam is a bonus, not a promise. Chehalis #15 is in heavy overhaul; Texas State Railroad Polar is diesel this year.
- If your state is not in the table, there is no licensed Polar page here for 2026. Use the Christmas hub or Rail Events if a new host appears.
Book and Film
Chris Van Allsburg wrote and illustrated The Polar Express in 1985. A boy hears a train on Christmas Eve, rides to the North Pole, and chooses a silver bell as the first gift of Christmas. Warner Bros.’ 2004 film stretched the story and used Pere Marquette 2-8-4 #1225—still operable in Michigan—as the model and sound for the locomotive. The licensed train ride is a Rail Events production of that story, not a screening of the movie and not a trip behind #1225 unless a host happens to use similar steam.
Canada and Overseas
Rail Events also licenses Polar Express in Canada, the United Kingdom, and elsewhere. Hosts that have run Polar in past years include Alberta Prairie (Stettler), Aspen Crossing (Mossleigh), West Coast Railway Heritage Park (Squamish), Waterloo Central, and York–Durham Heritage Railway. This 2026 U.S. rebuild does not confirm those 2026 calendars. Use Rail Events for current Canadian and overseas dates.
Related Reading on American-Rails.com
- Christmas Train Rides (Santa, North Pole Express, and other non-Polar holiday trains)
- Tourist railroads
- State railroad history
Always verify 2026 dates, times, and ticket prices on the railroad’s official Polar Express page before you travel. American-Rails.com does not sell tickets.
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