As the train pulls into the station, the crowd of children, many dressed in pajamas and coats, starts jumping up and down in excitement. “There it is! There it is!” you can hear many of them scream to their parents as they point out the real Polar Express, all dressed up for the holidays with lights and decorations inside and out. You can even see some of Santa’s “elves” are running about inside.

But this train means much more than smiling faces and cheers of joy to the City of Williams. The Polar Express is the Grand Canyon Railway’s and the city’s big holiday event from November to January. It pours tens of thousands of dollars into the economy of Williams every year, keeping it afloat in the off-season.

“It started out as a very small program just to sell some hotel rooms in the middle of the winter, December primarily,” says Bruce Brossman, director of Reservation Services for the Grand Canyon Railway. “It quickly grew and grew and we kept adding more and more dates.”

More than 70,000 people will hop aboard The Polar Express in Williams this season. That means thousands in taxes to the city and even more to the businesses. The city of Williams expects upwards of $164,000 just from the Bed, Board and Booze tax (BB&B tax) that will come into the economy between The Polar Express and the other events that are part of Williams’ Mountain Village Holiday events.

“The railway has revitalized our city,” says Joe Duffy, Willams assistant city manager and finance director who keeps tabs on the city’s BB&B tax. “We have seen about 15 percent increase per year that we attribute to the increased ridership of the Polar Express.”

More than 60 percent of the business in Williams is tourism related, and most of that is from the train throughout the year.

“They’re going to eat, shop and a lot of them will stay here too. This is huge,” says Kim Winter, operations manager for the Williams Chamber of Commerce. “[The Polar Express] makes a big difference.”

The Polar Express train first pulled into the town of Williams eight years ago. It began as a promotion based on the children’s book by Chris Van Allsburg (which was first published in 1985). Then in 2004, an animated film starring Tom Hanks was released. With it, the popularity of the book and the train increased.

“The whole town got behind it and it quickly grew. And now it really helps support the entire town of Williams through the whole holiday season. It helps many survive in this economically challenging time and for us it’s a huge success,” says Brossman.

“The Polar Express brings people here that wouldn’t come during the winter otherwise. It’s a great shot in the arm for the community,” says Duffy.

That sentiment is shared by businesses that get a big boost from the Polar Express every year, like the Pine Country Restaurant, located just a block from the railroad.

“The Polar Express magnifies business and the great parts of Williams,” says Karen Brooks, who has been manager of the popular cafe for about as long as the Polar Express has been running. “It means increased customers and sales. There’s more people eating and shopping in our gift shop. It also pushes all of our businesses into decorating and getting into the spirit of things. We love it!”

While the economy is on a downturn across most of America, Williams has actually seen increases this year, as have other big family destinations like Disneyland.

“Our numbers here have been up this whole year. September is the only month that’s not the case and we’re about average for that month. I know other places are down but not us,” says Winter.

Grand Canyon Railway estimates that 80 percent of the Polar Express riders come to Northern Arizona from other parts of the state. Ten more percent come from outside the state and the last 10 percent of riders live in Northern Arizona. Duffy adds that the City of Williams has noticed a spike in foreign visitors this year, thanks to the dollar’s weak showing in other countries. No matter where they’re from, the railway says the typical Polar Express rider will stay at a hotel in Williams or the surrounding area.

“This is one of the few real Christmas events in Arizona,” says Brossman. “Many people see riding the Polar Express as the kick off to their holiday season. People invite cousins, aunts, uncles and they all come here and have a fantastic time. It really has become a family tradition.”

For ticket information, call 1-800-THE-TRAIN or visit www.thetrain.com/polarexpress