Christmas Train Rides in Hawaii (2026)
Hawaii has exactly one holiday train, and it runs on the only operating historic railroad in the islands: a restored stretch of the old Oahu Railway & Land Company line on the leeward side of Oahu. The Hawaiian Railway Society strings its train with lights each December and runs a Holiday Express for families in pajamas. There is no licensed Polar Express in Hawaii; for the licensed rides on the mainland, see our state-by-state guide to the Polar Express and Christmas trains.
The short version
- Holiday Express Train Ride, Ewa Beach: December, see calendar, see booking page
- No licensed Polar Express runs in Hawaii in 2026; the closest options are in the drive-time table
Hawaii holiday trains at a glance
- Holiday trains
- 1 confirmed for 2026
- Licensed Polar Express
- None in Hawaii in 2026
- After Christmas
- No rides found
- Last checked
Look inside the book
Riding a Hawaii Christmas train? Read Rally first.
Rally Takes the Train is a corgi’s first train ride, from the early wake-up to the dark tunnel to the sunshine on the other side. It takes about five minutes to read, so it fits in the car on the way to the station. Turn a few pages here.
Rally Takes the Train
Eight pages from the book
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That's 8 of 25 pages
See who’s waiting at the station
Grandmommy and Papa are at the last stop. Get the full hand-painted book, $13.99 on Amazon.
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25 hand-painted pages, paperback, $13.99 with fast shipping from Amazon.
Every page is real watercolor on paper, painted by hand by Leslie Dunn. Nothing in this book was made with AI.
Oahu's Holiday Express for 2026
On the map
Where Hawaii’s Christmas trains leave from
- 1Ewa Beach: Holiday Express Train Ride
Licensed Polar Express Other holiday trains. Faint dots are Hawaii towns, for shape.
One railroad, one holiday train, and the only one in the state.
Ewa Beach: the Hawaiian Railway Society Holiday Express
Holiday lights trainHawaiian Railway Society · Ewa Beach
- Operator
- Hawaiian Railway Society(opens in a new tab)
- Boards at
- Hawaiian Railway Society station, Ewa Beach
- Season
- December evenings; the society has opened its 2026 Holiday Express listing, so check the booking calendar for dates
- Ride length
- About 90 minutes, nonstop
- What's included
- A ride on a train decorated with hundreds of lights, a live narrator with holiday cheer, and a special guest waiting at the station at the end
- Price
- See the booking page; the society's regular two-hour ride is $20
- Tickets
- Listing open; dates posted on the booking calendar
- Best ages
- All ages; pajamas welcome; no restroom on the train
The Hawaiian Railway Society is a volunteer nonprofit that restored six and a half miles of the old Oahu Railway & Land Company track between Ewa Beach and Kahe Point, and it runs the only historic train ride in the state. Each December the train is wrapped in hundreds of lights for the Holiday Express, a 90-minute nonstop evening ride with a live narrator. Families are invited to come in their holiday pajamas, and a very special guest is waiting at the station when the train pulls back in.
Two practical details from the society: there is no restroom on the train and no bathroom stop, and the holiday train does not stop at Ko Olina the way some regular rides do. Use the station restrooms before boarding, and bring a light layer, since the cars are open to the evening breeze. The society’s homepage says its 2026 Holiday Express information is out; the booking calendar is where dates and fares appear.
On regular days the society runs a two-hour narrated ride for $20 that tells the story of Hawaii’s plantation railroads and the wartime line. For kids who love trains, it is worth a daytime trip any time of year.
Check dates and tickets with Hawaiian Railway Society(opens in a new tab)Is the Holiday Express Right for Your Kids
Great for
Train-loving kids of any age, families who want an evening tradition without leaving the island, and grandparents who remember the plantation railroads.
Think twice if
You have a newly potty-trained child. The ride is 90 minutes with no restroom on board and no stops.
Another island holiday ride
Waikiki Trolley’s Holiday Lights Tour, December 6 to 31, takes families on an open-air double-decker bus to Honolulu City Lights at Honolulu Hale, with Santa photos at its Holiday Station. It is a bus, not a train, but it fills the same evening.
How Far the Holiday Express Is From Around Oahu
Typical evening drive times; H-1 traffic can double them.
| Starting from | To | Drive |
|---|---|---|
| Waikiki | Ewa Beach station | About 40 minutes |
| Kapolei | Ewa Beach station | About 10 minutes |
| Pearl City | Ewa Beach station | About 20 minutes |
| Kailua | Ewa Beach station | About 50 minutes |
If you are flying to the mainland for the holidays, the West Coast has the most holiday trains of any region; California’s thirteen are on our California page, about five hours away by air. Families headed north can see the Anchorage Holiday Train on our Alaska page.
Free to print
Something for H-1 traffic
Free printable Rally pages with a red train, a maze and a word search. Print a set before you go.
Get the free printablesHawaii Holiday Train Details Worth Knowing
No Polar Express in Hawaii
There is no licensed Polar Express ride in the islands. The Holiday Express is the railway society’s own event.
Book early
The society’s Halloween train sold out this fall, and capacity on the holiday train is limited. Watch the booking calendar and buy when dates appear.
Ocean Out the Window
Rally’s ride in our book follows the ocean and ends with Grandmommy and Papa waiting on the platform. The Holiday Express ends the same way, with someone special waiting at the station when the train comes back in.
My mom imagined Rally’s first train ride years before it was a book, and I finished it after she passed; our story page tells the rest. Print a few of our free Rally train pages for the drive to Ewa.
A train story for island kidsRally Takes the Train is a five-minute rhyming picture book about a corgi on his first train ride, hand-painted in watercolor. $13.99 on Amazon, ages 0 to 8.
Buy on Amazon
More for holiday train families
- Find a Christmas train near you: type your town and see every ride in the country sorted by distance
- Christmas train guide by state: licensed rides, costs and booking tips
- Christmas trains in California
- Christmas trains in Alaska
- Every Amtrak route with kids, for a real train trip after the holidays
- Free Rally activity pack and coloring pages to print before the ride
Sources
- Hawaiian Railway Society(opens in a new tab)
- Hawaiian Railway Society: 2026 Holiday Express booking(opens in a new tab)
- Waikiki Trolley: Holiday Lights Tour(opens in a new tab)
- American-Rails: Hawaii Christmas Train Rides on Oahu(opens in a new tab)
Checked against each railroad’s own pages on . THE POLAR EXPRESS is a trademark of Warner Bros. Entertainment. Each ride is run by the railroad or museum named above; Rally Takes the Train is a family picture book and is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by Warner Bros. Entertainment, Rail Events or any railroad listed here. Book only through the operator’s own site, and confirm dates and prices there before you go.
Hawaii Christmas trains: questions parents ask
Is there a Polar Express train ride in Hawaii?
No. Hawaii has no licensed Polar Express ride. The islands' holiday train is the Hawaiian Railway Society's Holiday Express in Ewa Beach on Oahu, a 90-minute evening ride on a train decorated with lights, with a narrator on board and a special guest greeting passengers at the station.
Who is the Hawaiian Railway Holiday Express best for?
Train-loving kids of any age, families who want an evening tradition without leaving the island, and grandparents who remember the plantation railroads.
What holiday events for kids are in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, in 2026?
For families, Ewa Beach has Holiday Express Train Ride from Hawaiian Railway Society (December, see calendar, see booking page). It includes a ride on a train decorated with hundreds of lights, a live narrator with holiday cheer, and a special guest waiting at the station at the end. For other Ewa Beach, Hawaii, events like parades and tree lightings, check the town or chamber of commerce calendar.
Where can families near Waikiki, Hawaii find a Christmas train ride?
From Waikiki, typical winter drive times on clear roads are: Ewa Beach station, about 40 minutes. Each Hawaii ride on this page lists dates, prices and the booking link, so Waikiki families can compare before they drive.
Where can families near Kapolei, Hawaii find a Christmas train ride?
From Kapolei, typical winter drive times on clear roads are: Ewa Beach station, about 10 minutes. Each Hawaii ride on this page lists dates, prices and the booking link, so Kapolei families can compare before they drive.
Where can families near Pearl City, Hawaii find a Christmas train ride?
From Pearl City, typical winter drive times on clear roads are: Ewa Beach station, about 20 minutes. Each Hawaii ride on this page lists dates, prices and the booking link, so Pearl City families can compare before they drive.
Where can families near Kailua, Hawaii find a Christmas train ride?
From Kailua, typical winter drive times on clear roads are: Ewa Beach station, about 50 minutes. Each Hawaii ride on this page lists dates, prices and the booking link, so Kailua families can compare before they drive.
Is there a bathroom on the Hawaiian Railway Holiday Express?
No. The Hawaiian Railway Society says the Holiday Express is 90 minutes nonstop, with no restroom on the train and no bathroom break, and it does not stop at Ko Olina. Families with young children should use the station restrooms right before boarding.
Where does the Hawaiian Railway Holiday Express leave from?
The train leaves from the Hawaiian Railway Society's station at 91-1001 Renton Road in Ewa Beach, on Oahu's leeward side. It is about 10 minutes from Kapolei and about 40 minutes from Waikiki without traffic, though the evening drive on H-1 can take longer.
Can kids wear pajamas on the Holiday Express?
Yes. The Hawaiian Railway Society invites everyone to dress comfortably in holiday pajamas for the Holiday Express. The cars are open to the evening air, so a light jacket or blanket helps, especially for babies and small children on a 90-minute ride.
What other holiday rides are there on Oahu?
Waikiki Trolley’s Holiday Lights Tour, December 6 to 31, takes families on an open-air double-decker bus to Honolulu City Lights at Honolulu Hale, with Santa photos at its Holiday Station. It is a bus, not a train, but it fills the same evening.
How much is the Holiday Express Train Ride in Ewa Beach?
Hawaiian Railway Society posts current Holiday Express Train Ride fares on its booking page rather than a single price list. The Holiday Express Train Ride runs December evenings; the society has opened its 2026 Holiday Express listing, so check the booking calendar for dates. Hawaiian Railway Society tickets: listing open; dates posted on the booking calendar.
How long is the Holiday Express Train Ride in Ewa Beach?
For the Ewa Beach ride, plan on about 90 minutes, nonstop. Included with the Holiday Express Train Ride in Ewa Beach: a ride on a train decorated with hundreds of lights, a live narrator with holiday cheer, and a special guest waiting at the station at the end. It is the only operating historic railroad in Hawaii, and the Holiday Express runs on its narrow-gauge track toward Kahe Point.
Where does the Holiday Express Train Ride in Ewa Beach leave from?
The Holiday Express Train Ride in Ewa Beach boards at Hawaiian Railway Society station, 91-1001 Renton Road, in Ewa Beach. Use the station restrooms before boarding, and bring a light layer, since the cars are open to the evening breeze. Hawaiian Railway Society tickets: listing open; dates posted on the booking calendar. It is the only operating historic railroad in Hawaii, and the Holiday Express runs on its narrow-gauge track toward Kahe Point.
Any tips for the Holiday Express Train Ride in Ewa Beach with young kids?
Two practical details from the society: there is no restroom on the train and no bathroom stop, and the holiday train does not stop at Ko Olina the way some regular rides do. Use the station restrooms before boarding, and bring a light layer, since the cars are open to the evening breeze. The society’s homepage says its 2026 Holiday Express information is out; the booking calendar is where dates and fares appear.