VRE Santa Trains Return In 2022: How To Get Tickets

VIRGINIA — The Virginia Railway Express will be running its popular Santa Trains on Saturday, Dec. 10, when families will be invited to meet Santa and friends.

Thirteen of the VRE holiday-themed trains will leave from five stations: Burke Centre, Manassas, Woodbridge, Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 28 and are known to sell out almost immediately.

The VRE Santa Trains are returning in 2022 after taking the last two years off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 75-minute train rides begin as early as 8:30 a.m. and as late as 3:30 p.m. Santa, Mrs. Claus and their elves will be onboard listening to children’s Christmas wishes and handing out goodie bags, VRE said in a news release.

The Santa Train stations will also serve as drop-off sites for Toys for Tots. Riders are encouraged to bring a toy to donate.

Along with celebrating the holidays with children and their parents, Santa and friends will be on the trains to promote Operation Lifesaver’s “Look, Listen and Live,” a campaign that raises awareness about rail safety on railroad tracks and at highway rail crossings.

Santa Train tickets can be purchased beginning at 10 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 28, with half being sold online through Eventbrite and the other half at five locations. Ticket sales will be limited to six per person. Tickets are $5 in person and $6 online.

The in-person tickets will be sold at these vendor locations starting at 10 a.m. on Nov. 28:

• Burke Centre Trains: Supervisor James Walkinshaw's Office, 9002 Burke Lake Road, Burke, VA 22015. 703-425-9300.
• Manassas Trains: Manassas Visitors Center (Manassas VRE Station), 9431 West Street, Manassas, VA 20110. 703-361-6599.
• Woodbridge Train: Destination Station (Woodbridge VRE Station), 1040 Express Way, Woodbridge, VA 22191. 703-491-5742.
• Fredericksburg Trains: Fredericksburg Visitors Center, 706 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg, VA 22401 540-373-1776.
• Spotsylvania Trains: Spotsylvania County Visitors Center, 4704 Southpoint Parkway, Fredericksburg, VA 22407 540-507-7090.

Each location will sell tickets only for the train station that corresponds to its location. Online tickets generally sell out in less than five minutes.

Regular VRE tickets will not be accepted on Dec. 10 for the special event. Also, tickets will not be sold at the station the day of the event.