NEW YORK — Canadian Pacific Railway’s Holiday Train, a 1,200-ft freight train decorated with thousands of Christmas lights, will begin its spectacular cross-continent journey in New York City tomorrow with a special ceremony to honor the fallen heroes of September 11.
“CPR’s 17,000 Canadian and American employees were deeply moved by the events of Sept.11 and wanted to show their sympathy for New Yorkers,” said CPR President & CEO Rob Ritchie. “The Holiday Train has become a symbol of employee pride and caring, and we’re taking it to New York to show our support.”
The CPR Holiday Train begins its 400-mile U.S. journey through the northeastern U.S. at Fresh Pond Junction Rail Yard in Queen where all New Yorkers can come and view the illuminated train and special holiday entertainment.
At 4pm EST, Rob Ritchie will ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange to commemorate CPR’s recent listing, simultaneously lighting the train’s 8,000 Christmas lights – the lighting will be fed live via satellite directly to the trading floor of the NYSE and will be available to all North American broadcasters.
Representatives from the NYSE, New York City officials, community leaders, the families of the fallen heroes of September 11 and New Yorkers will join CPR officials at the Holiday Train. CPR’s partner in the Holiday Train, General Electric, which supplied the lights and other support, will also take part in the tribute.
In addition to an earlier $100,000 donation to the NYSE Fund for Fallen Heroes, CPR will donate Canadian Christmas trees to families of the firefighters and police officers who lost their lives in the September11 rescue. Handmade wreaths will be presented to city officials, police and fire commissioners.
After leaving Fresh Pond, the train will stop briefly on the Hellgate Bridge at approximately 7:00 p.m. EST for a photo opportunity against the New York skyline and then head north through New York State. The train will stop in Saratoga Springs, Fort Edward, Whitehall and Plattsburg on Dec. 6 for special charity events in each community before crossing the Canadian border and ending its journey in Montreal, Quebec.
A second Holiday Train will begin its Canadian journey the next day, visiting 50 communities along the CPR network between Montreal and Vancouver, British Columbia. A third train, traveling through the U.S. Midwest, leaves Chicago on December 8. Food and cash raised at all event stops will be donated to local food banks.
CPR has approximately 1,100 employees in the northeastern U.S. The company was spun off from its parent company, Canadian Pacific Limited, in October. CPR trades under the symbol “CP” on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges.
About Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway is North America’s first transcontinental railway and is the only transcontinental carrier with direct service to the U.S. Eastern Seaboard. CPR’s 14,000-mile network serves the principal centers of Canada, from Montreal to Vancouver, and the U.S. Northeast and Midwest regions. CPR’s track feeds directly into the Chicago hub from the East and West coasts. Alliances with other carriers extend CPR’s market reach beyond its own network and into the major business centres of Mexico. For more information, visit CPR’s website at www.cpr.ca.