INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Rail Road’s Santa Train will return after a pandemic-related hiatus, operating Dec. 3-5 under a modified schedule and format because of ongoing COVID-19 safety precautions.
The 2021 operation of the specially decorated train will see Santa’s elves arrive ahead of the train to prepare for Santa’s arrival, with families invited to watch the train arrive on a newly restored Indiana Rail Road caboose and mail letters to Santa via the railroad’s North Pole Express Mailbox. The opportunity to come aboard the train and visit with Santa will not be available this year for health, security, and safety reasons.
The Santa Train originated in 1989 as a volunteer project of railroad employees, but was cancelled last year because of the pandemic.
“It’s great that we are able to bring this tradition back,” Indiana Rail Road CEO Dewayne Swindall said in a press release. “The Santa Train means as much to INRD employees as it does the communities in which we operate.”
The railroad asks that individuals who have been in contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19 within two weeks of the Santa Train, along with anyone showing symptoms such as a fever, cough, difficulty breathing, or cold- or flu-like symptoms, refrain from attending. It also notes the CDC recommends waring a mask in crowded outdoor settings and for activities in close contact with those who are not fully vaccinated.
The 2021 Santa Train schedule:
