Tickets for Christmas trips on 'Polar Express' train go on sale
Maryann Struman
Sure, spring weather is finally creeping into Michigan — but it's only nine more months till Christmas.
Tickets are on sale for the 2019 season of the North Pole Express, featuring round-trip on the Pere Marquette — the historic locomotive made famous in the film "Polar Express."
About 4,000 people take the North Pole Express each season, according to the train's operator, the Steam Railroading Institute in Owosso.
The trips, which run on Saturdays and Sundays, are a four-hour, round trip excursion from the Steam Railroading Institute in Owosso to the nearby Village of Ashley’s Country Christmas.
Passengers enjoy a one-hour train ride each way to and from Ashley, choosing one of five different classes of service, from vintage coaches to historic cabooses. In Ashley, passengers disembark for a two-hour vintage-themed Christmas party featuring live music, photo opportunities and Santa himself.
The event sells out almost immediately.
New this year is an adult-only parlor class section — vintage high-level lounge cars that once served the unique El Capitan passenger train of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway from Chicago to Los Angeles.
Acquired in early 2019 by the Steam Railroading Institute, the new addition to the passenger fleet offers high-end seating, panoramic views, holiday hors d’oeuvres, sweets and cocktails available at a cash bar.
The train departs at 10 a.m and 5 p.m. each day from Nov. 16 to Dec. 21. Tickets start at $50 and up. Visit MichiganSteamTrain.com or by calling 989-399-7589.