The Polar Express Train Ride is now sold out.
A family holiday adventure that brings the magical story to life!
2026 trains will run December 5th and 6th.
THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride adventure begins in the Wing Building lobby at the bottom of King Street, (just South of Union Station), in Burlington, Vermont. Engineers welcome families into the south entrance of the Wing Building where they’ll await their train. Passengers are encouraged to wear pajamas. Conductors greet passengers as they board the train from the Wing Building in Burlington for their ride to the 'North Pole' (Union Station). The ride is about 20 minutes. During the ride, hot cocoa and cookies are served by chefs, while conductors lead a Christmas carol sing along.
Upon reaching the 'North Pole', children leave the train, passing through a sea of elves, as they enter Union Station. The Polar Express story is read aloud, as artwork from the book follows the page turns on a big screen. Once the story is finished, the reader shakes his sleigh bell and we, too, hear “the most beautiful sound we have ever heard.”
The chime grows and grows until we realize it is coming from behind the crowd. Santa appears and invites children to join him on the upper level of Union Station. Santa gives each child a bell from his sleigh as passengers exit the building. Everyone should walk down Battery Street to return to their cars to avoid running into children who are passengers on the next train.
The entire trip takes approximately one hour and 15 minutes including the boarding time of 15 minutes. This is a handicap accessible event. Please email Special Services by December 1st to let us know upon which train you are riding. Here are the details on handicap parking. Children with food allergies should bring their own cocoa and cookies. We offer a sensory friendly train through a partnership with Seed and Sew. For more information about the sensory friendly train visit the Seed and Sew website.
All proceeds from this event benefit VCTF.
Although we are no longer able to offer tickets to volunteers, we are still looking for elf volunteers!
We need hundreds of elves to welcome passengers as they pull into the station (North Pole). Our horde of elves form a receiving line OUTSIDE the station entrance, reaching from the first train car to the last train car, stretching as it narrows to the entrance of the station. We encourage you to hoot, holler, shout, clap, make noise and show wild enthusiasm when the train arrives! As the families and children walk by, kneel down and whisper Merry Christmas and be sure to use the names of the smallest children (each child will be wearing a name tag).
Elf shifts are available on Saturday and Sunday December 5th and 6th at the following times:
Saturday, 12/5/26, 3:30pm - 8:00pm
Sunday, 12/6/26, 11:30am - 4:00pm
Sunday, 12/6/26, 3:30pm - 8:00pm
Organizations and Student Groups: We welcome school and corporate groups that wish to volunteer as elves together! You will use a separate registration form to sign up as a group. If you have any questions, please contact Theo Clark at theo@vtchildrenstrust.org.
All Behind the Scenes and Engineer shifts are now full.
Polar Express Volunteer Registration Links
Special Rate for Polar Express Riders at the Best Western Windjammer
Want to turn your magical ride into a magical weekend? Click HERE for a special rate at the Best Western Windjammer in South Burlington, VT. The rate includes complimentary hot breakfast buffet, use of heated indoor pool and complimentary parking. For questions about this special rate, please contact Best Western South Burlington at (802) 863-1125
VCTF is grateful to Lot 7 Media for donating the production of this video!
Polar Express 2025 Photos
THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride photos courtesy of Stephen Mease Photography and Leif Tillotson PHOTOGRAPHY.
THE POLAR EXPRESS and all related characters and elements © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.