More than 100 Maple Ridge residents boarded the first West Coast Express Santa Train of 2022 at the Port Haney stop, with hundreds more boarding at the other stops in Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, and other surrounding communities.
READ MORE: West Coast Express Santa Train returns to Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows
According to Tanya Sawchuk, who has been volunteering with the West Coast Express Santa Train for over 20 years, she can’t ever recall a higher turnout at the Port Haney location.
“Some years it’s like 40 toys, some years it’s 50. But I don’t think we’ve ever had 90,” she said.
Fun to see folks out for @TransLink West Coast Express Santa Train Dec 3 & 4. Bring an unwrapped gift for a ticket! pic.twitter.com/Jzaetdy9TR
— Bob D'Eith (@BobDEithMRM) December 3, 2022
Along with collecting unwrapped toys for the Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows Christmas Hamper Society for children in need in the community, Sawchuk and her two fellow volunteers also collected cash and gift card donations and handed out candy canes to the many children that showed up.
Sawchuk explained that Port Haney is the busiest of the three Santa Train stops in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows, and she hopes to see even more people show up for Sunday’s train.
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The Sunday, Dec. 4 Santa Train will depart the Port Haney station at 10:19 a.m., with it then departing the Maple Meadows station at 10:25 a.m., and the Pitt Meadows station at 10:29 a.m.
It will carry riders downtown for a wide variety of Christmas fun, before departing back home at 5 p.m.
A full schedule for the West Coast Express Santa Train can be found at https://www.translink.ca/schedules-and-maps/.
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