Edmonton’s Christmas streetcar rolls out for almost fully booked season

The Edmonton streetcar is dressed for the holiday season, giving Edmontonians a festive ride. CTV News Edmonton's Nahreman Issa reports.

The Edmonton Radial Railway Society (ERRS) has begun its Christmas streetcar programming, and the festive tours are already at 98 per cent capacity for the season.

The Christmas car, Edmonton streetcar #33, was first built in 1912 and decommissioned alongside the rest of its counterparts in 1951. A team of ERRS volunteers restoring streetcars to their former functional glory reintroduced the Christmas Car four years ago.

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Opening day on Friday saw a packed charter, and according to bookings online, that will be the case until programming ends on Dec. 21.

“The demand was much more than we expected,” said ERRS Vice President Ward Baskett. “This year we’ve quadrupled the capacity.”

The streetcar itself is decked in all the holiday classics: a Christmas tree, garlands, lights and ornaments. Vintage music plays through the cabin of the car. Along the 45-minute tours of Strathcona Barn to the High Level Bridge and back, there are a few festive surprises, as well.

Tickets went on sale for the Christmas Car on Nov. 7 and nearly sold out almost entirely shortly after. Private tours are fully booked while public ones are almost full.

Baskett said while demand is high, the possibility of extending festive rides isn’t something the team is considering right now.

“We rely on volunteers to operate the cars, maintain the cars, get all the tracks ready, and everything else,” he said. “They’ve had a long season … they’re kind of done by the time Christmas comes.”

Still, he said the volunteers love the holiday operations for the colder rides through the winter. Normally, the Edmonton streetcars pause operations by Thanksgiving weekend except for the Christmas Car.

“We have no problems getting any of our motormen to operate in colder conditions and sometimes unique conditions,” Baskett added.

According to the ERRS website, the Edmonton streetcar fleet is the largest of its kind in western Canada and currently includes nine operational streetcards and 17 in reserve. While festive tours may not be available for much longer, booking for public summer rides will resume again in May.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Nahreman Issa