The Kent and East Sussex Railway runs Santa trains on ten dates from 29 November. Prices are per table, not per person, and booking closes seven days ahead.

The Kent and East Sussex Railway’s Santa Specials run on ten dates in 2026, from Sunday 29 November to Christmas Eve, out of Tenterden Town station. Dates and prices are published and tickets are on sale (kesr.org.uk). The railway says it has been running these since 1974.

The one thing to understand before you look at a price: you book a table or a compartment, not a seat. A £100 ticket is for two people, not per person.

The ten dates

  • Sunday 29 November
  • Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December
  • Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 December
  • Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 December
  • Tuesday 22, Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24 December

29 November is the cheapest date on every single package, by £15 to £20 depending on what you book. The last four dates, 19 to 24 December, are the dearest.

What every ticket includes

  • A 75-minute return steam journey in festively decorated carriages.
  • An age-appropriate present addressed with your child’s name, delivered by Santa at your seat.
  • Free unlimited rides on the vintage gallopers at Tenterden.
  • A free photograph of your family group.
  • A visit to the station’s Winter Wonderland.
  • A complimentary mulled wine or hot drink for adults.
  • Babies under 18 months travel free of charge and still receive a gift.

Prices, by package

Bronze, standard class open-plan carriage, adds a refreshment pack with a mince pie per adult, a chocolate bar per child and soft drinks for all, chocolates from Santa for children aged 12 to 15, and an on-board magician.

Bronze 29 Nov 5-13 Dec 19-24 Dec
Table for 2 £100 £115 £120
Table for 3 £115 £125 £130
Table for 4 £125 £140 £150

Silver, first class, adds a meet-and-greet with Jingle and Sparkle, Santa’s head elves, an elf hat and a “Diploma of Elfship” for each guest, and a trolley service with alcoholic or soft drinks for adults and fruit juice for children.

Silver 29 Nov 5-13 Dec 19-24 Dec
Table for 2 £150 £160 £170
Table for up to 4 £260 £270 £280
Private compartment, up to 6 £380 £390 £400
Private compartment, up to 8 £430 £440 £450

Gold, premium first class, adds free-flowing prosecco or beer, fruit juice cartons for children, cakes, deep-filled warm mince pies and luxury chocolates, all served at your seat. Gold runs on selected trains only.

Gold 29 Nov 5-13 Dec 19-24 Dec
Table for up to 4 £300 £310 £320
Table for up to 6 £405 £415 £425

Accessible: a standard class table for four including one wheelchair user is priced the same as the equivalent Bronze table, £125 on 29 November rising to £150 from 19 December. The accessible coach Petros provides ramped access and a wheelchair space plus three other seats, and is included on selected trains only, so check availability before booking.

Online booking saves £5 on the telephone or in-person price, and the railway does not charge a booking fee.

The rules that catch people out

  • Bookings close seven days before the date of travel. After that, no changes at all.
  • Any change to a confirmed booking incurs a £7 administration charge.
  • Miss your booked departure and you lose the money. The railway states it cannot move you to a later service and that no refund is possible.
  • Seats are allocated first come, first served, so book the whole group in one transaction. Separate bookings are not normally seated together.
  • No dogs, other than assistance dogs.
  • If your group is one larger than the table you want, one extra person can usually be added for a small charge, but not in accessible or premium accommodation.

Times, parking and the station itself

Gates open at 09:30, except on Sunday 29 November when the station opens at 10:30, and close 30 minutes after the last train arrives. Departure times are chosen during booking. If you are on the last departure of the day, the railway suggests doing the station activities first, though the gallopers can be ridden before and after the train ride either way.

Parking is the pinch point. There is limited free parking for customers at Tenterden Town station, for up to three hours only. If it fills, the railway points visitors to the nearby pay and display car parks. There is no Blue Badge parking in the station forecourt: visitors with reduced mobility can be dropped at the station entrance and the vehicle then parked in the Blue Badge area of the main car park.

Allow extra time. The railway’s own warning names roadworks, weather and Christmas congestion, and Tenterden High Street is busy through late November. Our Ashford roadworks and travel page tracks anything on the A28, and parking in Ashford covers the borough’s car park tariffs, including Tenterden’s.

The station gift shop is open, the takeaway kiosk next to the platform sells hot food and the Station Refreshment Rooms are open for anything you want to eat sitting down.

Quieter option

The 11:15am train on Sunday 29 November is a designated Quiet Train, for anyone who wants a less intense visit. No Christmas music is played, and every other inclusive feature stays the same. It is also on the cheapest date of the run.

Also on nearby

The Tenterden Christmas Market runs 19 to 22 November, the weekend before the Santa Specials start, with the Town Hall tree lighting on Friday 20 November. Ashford’s Carnival of the Baubles is on Saturday 21 November.

Sources