VRE Santa Train 2017: Tickets Details, Schedule

Raise your hand if you're one of those folks who vows not to think about Christmas until after Thanksgiving. That's cool and everything but if you stick to that mantra, you'll miss out on one of the area's most popular family events. The VRE's Santa Train will run Dec. 9 and tickets go on sale Monday, Nov. 21. They always — always — sell out fast.

Children and family members will spend an hour riding the train with Santa and Mrs. Claus. The event is part of Operation Lifesaver, educating children about safety around railroad tracks. Also, there will be treats for children and music from local high school choirs. The Santa Train VRE stations: Fredericksburg, Burke Center, Woodbridge and Spotsylvania.

Ticket details from Virginia Railway Express:

Where

• Half of the tickets will be sold at ticket outlets and the other half will be sold online.
• In-person vendors (ticket outlets) will only sell tickets for their area's corresponding excursion train station.

When

• Tickets cannot be reserved or sold in advance of the ticket sales period.
• Both online tickets and tickets sold at the outlets will go on sale the Monday before Thanksgiving.

Cost

• Tickets are $5.00 at the outlets and $6 online.
• Payment at the ticket outlets may be made with cash or check.
• Online purchases can be made with credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover) or with a pre-existing PayPal account.

Additional Information

• Online sales will have a limited number of tickets for each train.
• All passengers, regardless of age, must have tickets. Regular VRE tickets WILL NOT be honored for this special event. Tickets WILL NOT be sold at the station the day of the event and must be purchased prior to the event.
• Santa Train Tickets are not refundable or exchangeable.
• All online tickets will be MAILED to the address provided at checkout.
• Ticket sales are limited to 6 per person for most trains. For online purchases, any person attempting to purchase more than 6 tickets for specific trains will have their ENTIRE ORDER REFUNDED, thus not receiving any tickets. NO EXCEPTIONS.
• Tickets sell out incredibly fast. No one is guaranteed a ticket. Tickets sold in-person and online are sold first-come, first-served.
• After ticket sales conclude, VRE does not have available tickets.

Fairfax Family Fun has learned tips on how best to make sure you get tickets.

Click here for the complete schedule.

Image via Virginia Railway Express