CPR launches cross-country holiday train for charity

On December 7, Canadian Pacific Railway will launch a Canadian Holiday Train on a 5,000-km, 15-day journey departing from Montreal. The company says it wants to take the battle against hunger to dozens of communities across the country.

The 1,200-ft. freight train, decorated in 8,000 Christmas lights, runs in partnership with the Canadian Association of Food Banks (CAFB). It will stop in towns and cities along CPR’s Canadian mainline, staging special events to raise donations and support for the thousands of Canadians who turn to food banks each month.

In addition to food and money collected along the way, CPR will donate roughly $144,000 to Canadian food banks.

“The Holiday Train has become a Christmas tradition in communities across the CPR network. It’s a chance for our employees, families, customers and communities to come together to help people in need. The Holiday Train is about giving back to communities and bringing people together, especially in these difficult times,” said CPR President & CEO Rob Ritchie.

The Holiday Train leaves Montreal’s St. Luc Yard at 5 p.m. (EST) on December 7 then travels west on CPR’s mainline to end its journey in Port Coquitlam, B.C. on December 21. The Canadian train is one of three featured in CPR’s expanded 2001 Holiday Train program – the other two trains will visit New York state and the U.S. Midwest. The U.S. Holiday Train, originating in Chicago, will cross the Canada-U.S. border to meet the Canadian Holiday Train in Moose Jaw on December 14.

The Holiday Train’s corporate sponsors include Hudson’s Bay Company, General Electric, Canadian Tire and All Star Entertainment. The following Canadian unions are supporting this year’s train: Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers (BLE), United Transportation Union (UTU), Rail Canada Traffic Controllers (RCTC), Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) Local 101, International
Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees (BMWE), CP Police Association and United Steelworkers of America (USWA), Local 1976.