The West Coast Express Santa Train had a haul of approximately 950 new toys, and $1,309 in donations from riders this year, according to TransLink.
That's about half of last year's donations, but TransLink said it will be topping up charities impacted.
The train ran on Dec. 14, making stops in Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows and at other stations along the route to Waterfront Station in Vancouver, where annual holiday celebrations are held.
It is a rare weekend riding of the West Coast Express, which normally only runs as a commuter train taking people from as far away as Mission to the city each morning, and returning each evening during rush hour.
Santa Train riders get a return ticket in exchange for a new, unwrapped toy. Volunteers at each station collect donations, and they benefit the local Christmas bureaus in the communities served by TransLink, including the Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows Christmas Hamper Society.
This year's haul is less than half of last year's, but there was just one running of the train. In 2023 riders donated 2,249 toys, and more than $2,800 dollars between all the stops over two Saturdays.
This year there was just the one Santa Train. There was, however, a Rogers West Coast Express Midnight Train, which ran on Dec. 7 as extra service for the Taylor Swift Eras Tour in Vancouver.
The plan is to have two runnings of the Santa Train next year, says TransLink spokesperson Jawn Jang.
Asked whether the Eras Tour cancelled one running of the Santa Train, he responded that TransLink is able to run a limited number of special event West Coast Express trains each year, because TransLink does not own the tracks.
"This year, one of those trains was sponsored to accommodate commuters travelling from Mission, Fraser Valley, and Tri-Cities to get to downtown for the concert and other events," said Jang.
"When negotiating the sponsorship deal, TransLink factored in that some of the money would be used to pay the charities who usually benefit from donations made from the second Santa Train," he said. "This ensures no one loses out from the arrangement."
The West Coast Express will not be running on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, or New Year's Day.