Countdown on for 12th year of CP Holiday Train and feeding our communities

CALGARY, Oct. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - What has turned into a fun annual holiday event and more importantly, a key food bank fundraiser, the CP Holiday Train is in the final planning stages before heading out across Canada and the United States for the 12th year.

The 2010 CP Holiday Train schedule is now available on cpr.ca - a website that more than 150,000 visitors check out each holiday season to get the latest updates and mark their calendars for the train stop nearest them. People in more than 70 communities in six provinces and 40 towns and cities in eight U.S. states will again experience the Holiday Train's important mission of feeding our communities.

Two specially decorated freight trains will launch on their unique journeys in late November: The U.S. Holiday Train on Friday, November 26th, while the Canadian 'train of lights' will begin its cross-country trek the next day, Saturday, November 27th, from Beaconsfield, Quebec.

Since 1999, the CP Holiday Train program has raised $4.8 million and generated almost 2.3 million pounds of food donations for local food shelves. Cash donations from generous North Americans totalled close to $750,000 last year alone.

On board for the 2010 Holiday Train in Canada is one of the country's most versatile bands, The Odds, an alternative rock band, who bring their energy and full voiced harmonies. Headlining Holiday Train stage in the United States is musical sensation Melanie Doane. Visit the Holiday Train page at www.cpr.ca for their bios and photos.

Again this year, you can follow both Holiday Trains on CP's website with daily blog updates, interesting and heart warming stories and photos from the train. People can join the Holiday Train on Facebook and follow the spirit of one of the longest-running cross-country food bank fundraisers on Twitter: @CPHolidaytrain.

    Some facts and stats about the CP Holiday Train Program:

    -   Each Holiday Train is about 1,000 feet in length with 14 decorated
        rail cars, including a modified box car that has been turned into a
        traveling stage for performers. The two trains are assembled and
        decorated by CP employees in Montreal, Smith Falls and Calgary.

    -   Each train shines brightly with hundreds of thousands of modern LED
        Christmas lights.

    -   CP supports talented Canadian musicians who live on the train and
        perform - no matter how cold it gets!

    -   Each live performance takes place from a box car converted to a
        professional stage.

    -   Crowds donate money and non-perishable food, and CP presents a cheque
        at each stop to top off whatever is donated.

    -   Everything collected in a community stays in that community for
        distribution.

    About Canadian Pacific

Canadian Pacific, through the ingenuity of its employees located across Canada and in the United States, remains committed to being the safest, and most fluid railway in North America. Our people are the key to delivering innovative transportation solutions to our customers and to ensuring the safe operation of our trains through the more than 1,100 communities where we operate.

Editor's Note: Visit our Holiday Train website for schedules, the musicians' bios and photos, a route map, as well as downloadable pictures and b-roll of the train.

SOURCE Canadian Pacific