(The following story by Tim Waldorf appeared on the Naperville Sun website on October 16.)
CHICAGO — The Santa Train will stop in Naperville after all.
“We’re really not Scrooge,” said Metra spokeswoman Judy Pardonnet.
Metra had informed the Naperville Jaycees that its annual one-hour Santa Train rides that depart from the Fifth Avenue Train Station and feature favorite holiday characters, sing-a-longs and, of course, a visit from Santa Claus could not be accommodated this year.
But Pardonnet said Wednesday the beloved holiday event is back on track and that the original cancellation was due to miscommunication between Metra and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway officials.
The Santa Train and Lisle’s popular Polar Express train, which also had been canceled, are chartered trains, not regularly scheduled ones, Pardonnet said. That means they depart and return at special times, are manned by special crews, and are ridden only by those attending the special event.
BNSF informed Metra that it wouldn’t have enough crews to accommodate any more charter trains this year, said Pardonnet. Metra took that to mean that BNSF couldn’t man the Santa Train or the Polar Express. So, she said, Metra informed these event organizers of the unfortunate news.
But, she added, BNSF actually meant that the only chartered trains it could crew were ones that had already been booked, such as the Santa Train and the Polar Express. Any other events could be accommodated only through Metra’s group travel program, which provides groups of 25 to 135 passengers discount fares for regularly scheduled trains when they travel during off-peak hours. Pardonnet said 75 such events – about 50 of which have been sponsored by park districts – have been scheduled using this program.
Naperville Jaycees President Paul DeKruiff said his organization was relieved to hear this good news Wednesday, as it was already in the process of exploring alternative opportunities to provide the community with a similar event.
“We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to run the Santa Train again this year,” he said. “It has become a favorite holiday activity for so many people, and we’re happy to be able to work with Metra to keep it going.”
The Santa Train has chugged through Naperville for more than 25 years, and the Jaycees have been conducting these rides since 2000.
Annually, roughly 2,000 people purchase tickets for Naperville’s Santa Train rides. The Jaycees put proceeds from the event toward their general fundraising effort, with about $100,000 a year going toward a variety of charities.
This year, the Naperville Jaycees’ Santa Train rides are scheduled to depart the Fifth Avenue Train Station on Dec. 6. Details, such as times the trains will depart and where tickets can be purchased, have yet to be finalized, but will be posted on the Naperville Jaycees’ Web site, www.naperjaycees.org.