Santa’s train costs more per mile than the Orient Express

Anger over ‘ludicrous’ cost of Christmas rides.

Parents have branded a children’s Christmas train ride a “rip off” after it emerged it costs more per mile than the Orient Express.

Mums and dads are being asked to fork out £4 “per rider” on Santa’s Train in Princes Street Gardens. Even if a toddler sits on a parent’s knee there’s a charge of £4 each.

The ride is part of Edinburgh’s Christmas attractions and consists of a miniature train which trundles round a maze of pine trees.

It travels about 480m in total, meaning the price a parent and their child pays is equivalent to £27.35 per mile.

That’s more than three times the £8.64 cost per mile for a parent and child travelling on the luxurious, world-famous Orient-Express.

And it’s a whopping 33 times more expensive per mile than it is for an adult and their child to ride first class from Edinburgh to London.

Nicola Lamond from parenting group Netmums said: “It’s ludicrous that it costs that much for a children’s ride.

“I’m sure there are lots of disgruntled parents counting the cost of a day out in Edinburgh this year.

“Parents will be subjected to pester power from their children when they spot these rides and it’s difficult to say ‘no’ when there are so many other children enjoying them.

“The cheaper rides seem to be disappearing from Christmas attractions and are being replaced by more expensive alternatives.

“The food and goods being sold are all very expensive too. You can easily spend a lot of money in a short space of time.

“That’s bad news for poorer families who will already be struggling with the cost of Christmas.”

Edinburgh’s Christmas attractions also feature an ice rink costing £8.50 for children aged 4-15 with tickets for adults costing £8.50-£12.50, with a 10% discount if you buy in advance.

A carousel within the gardens charges £4 per person and requires all riders to have a ticket, while fish and chips are £4.50 from vendors.

Glasgow’s Christmas attractions in George Square also have some pricey options.

Tickets for skating at the ice rink in George Square cost £8-£10 for adults, £6-£8 for children aged 5-17 and £6-£8 for concessions. A family of two adults and three children can go skating for £29-£33 and youngsters with a Young Scot or a Kidz Card can go skating for £4.

Tickets for the helter skelter cost £2 while the carousel is £2.50 and those looking to ride on the fairground swings are charged £3 each. Each ride charges the same amount regardless of age.

However, a similar ice rink in Aberdeen’s Castlegate area charges £2 per ticket regardless of age with all proceeds going to charity.

Charlie Wood, director of Underbelly, which runs Edinburgh’s Christmas attractions, said a trip on Santa’s Train would be “a cherished memory for all involved”.

He added: “The price of the ticket is £4.00 with a 10% discount when booked online, although I would point out that babes in arms are exempt from these charges.”

A spokesman for Glasgow Loves Christmas, which runs the George Square attractions, said: “One of the children’s rides is free and we have a free stage programme. There’s also a programme of free, family friendly events on Hogmanay.”

The Paris to Istanbul route of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is 2,291 miles long and would cost an adult and a child £19,800 to ride. That works out at £8.64 per mile.

Similarly, booking a seat each, first class, for an adult and a child traveling 393 miles from Edinburgh Waverley to London Euston would cost a total of £317.25, working out at 81p per mile.

The Santa Train ride goes round a track roughly 160 metres long three times, clocking up a total distance of about 480m.

The price of tickets for an adult and a child, excluding “babes in arms” who go free, is £8 in total, working out at a cost of £27.35 per mile.