PENINSULA, Ohio — Editor's Note: The above video features a previous interview with members of CVSR previewing The North Pole Adventure™.
Earlier this month, the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad announced that 'significant' erosion issues closed portions of the railroad's tracks, impacting several of the CVSR's trips and prompting concerns about how the upcoming North Pole Adventure event would be affected.
On Tuesday, CVSR announced that it has rerouted The North Pole Adventure to ensure that the event takes place this season as scheduled. All North Pole departures will now leave from the Rockside Station located at 7900 Old Rockside Road in Independence. There will be no North Pole trains leaving from the CVSR's Akron station.
You can see an updated North Pole Adventure departure list here.
“We have worked with our staff and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and we have been able to identify a portion of the tracks that are safe and will allow us to run our trains.” said CVSR President and CEO Joe Mazur in a statement. “We want to make sure that every North Pole Adventurer will have the opportunity to experience the magic of a train ride directly to the North Pole to deliver their letters to Santa.”
Mazur adds the North Pole Adventure has sold out for this year. The change in departure will allow for a visit to Santa's workshop to see all of his elves hard at work. "While we know the departure changes may cause inconvenience for some of our passengers, we have redesigned the adventure to ensure it is more magical than ever and delivers more time with Santa.”
Those ticketholders who will be unable to ride the train due to the new schedule will be given a full refund. Click here for more.
"The Cuyahoga River is a dynamic system, and it is constantly changing. The NPS (National Park Service) is committed to continually assessing track conditions, especially near the river, and maintaining the tracks for safe train operations," the NPS wrote in a statement announcing the erosion impact earlier this month.
The NPS reports that an engineering firm is in place to address key problem areas. In the meantime, modifications to operations will remain in place while NPS and CVSR wait for additional information and explore options for returning to normal.
“We are going to do everything we can to allow the train to return to normal operations as soon as possible," Cuyahoga Valley National Park superintendent Lisa Petit said in the statement.
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