Like many other heritage organisations, the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland is preparing for its Christmas season.
Despite extensive discussions with Northern Ireland Railways and Iarnród Éireann (or Irish Rail), it has not been possible to schedule Santa Special trains on the main line to Dublin.
The locomotives and carriages are ready and the steam crews have been put through refresher courses, but unfortunately, all the required elements to run the trains could not be put in place. For the same reason, RPSI cannot run trains from Portadown either .
However, Santa Special trains will run from Belfast. A vintage steam train will run from Belfast Lanyon Place to Whitehead Excursion Station, where passengers will be met by elves. There will also be music on the platform.
All adult passengers will be served a warm drink and mince pie, and entered into a draw to win a main line excursion for up to four people in 2022. They will also receive a 20% discount voucher for entrance to Whitehead Railway Museum, which can be used at a later date.
Santa will greet visitors to Whitehead, where RPSI has its own premises. That means social distancing can be maintained on the train, which would not be the case if Santa were to travel on the train and visit children at their seats. There is enough platform space to ensure that much of the experience can be held outdoors, but may be cold outside so passengers should wear warm clothes.
At Whitehead, Santa will have his own home on the platform, hopefully in a snow globe full of snow. His elves will hand out presents to all children and there will be an opportunity to take family photos beside Santa.
If passengers need additional sustenance, the RPSI's café on Platform 3 will be open; there is also a gift shop on the platform.
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In relation to the article on the RPSI I wish to state that there no issues with Irish Rail in the Republic of Ireland. RPSI Dublin Operations made the decision not to run due to the high numbers of Covid cases. All was arranged with Irish Rail, paths etc.
RPSI decision only