BOW VALLEY – It’s the one train that Bow Valley residents don’t mind when it delays traffic.
Canadian Pacific’s Holiday Train will make its first trek back to the region since 2019 after it went the virtual route during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The festive and well lit train will make stops in Banff, Canmore and Mînî Thnî (Morley) on Dec. 13 between 4:15 and 7:45 p.m.
“I’m grateful to the CP team members who adapted during the COVID-19 pandemic to deliver two exceptional virtual Holiday Train shows and to all those who continued to donate while we kept community members safe,” said Keith Creel, CP’s president and CEO in a media release.
“The Holiday Train is all about families and communities coming together to celebrate the season and help those in need. We are excited to be back out on the rails and in our communities, taking these two beautiful trains across our network and sharing the joy that comes with gathering in the spirit of giving.”
The train will first arrive in Mînî Thnî on the CP tracks near the Morley gas station at 4:15 p.m., with performances taking place from 4:25 to 4:45 p.m. The next stop will be Canmore at 5:45 p.m. at the railway pedestrian crossing behind Save-on-Foods and Canadian Tire. The performance will be from 6 to 6:30 p.m.
The final stop in the valley will be at the Banff train station when it pulls into the yard at 7 p.m. and performances take place from 7:15 to 7:45 p.m.
The musical performances will be MacKenzie Porter and Virginia to Vegas.
Virginia to Vegas, also known as Derik Baker, is an American-born and Canadian singer-songwriter who performs indie-pop. His music has been streamed more than 650 million times across the world.
Porter, a Medicine Hat-born singer, is a country performer and is the first female artist to have three consecutive No. 1 singles on Canadian country radio in two decades. Porter has also had a No. 1 hit in the United States.
The train has become an annual tradition for families across the country as well as the American midwest and northeastern seaboard, where it also stops.
The American train leaves Montreal Nov. 22 and goes through Quebec, southern Ontario and parts of the United States, with its final stop in Weyburn, Sask. On Dec. 18. The Canadian train departs Montreal Nov. 27 and eventually makes its way to Vancouver on Dec. 17.
The train, which is hard to miss, has more than a dozen rail cars and a locomotive that is decked out in full holiday gear.
The Holiday Train program launched in 1999 and features two trains – one Canadian and the other American – that make brief stops in 168 communities stretching from Maine, Iowa, Missouri and Quebec to British Columbia.
In addition to entertaining, the program also aims to raise money, food and awareness for local food banks. The performances are free to attend, but attendees are encouraged to bring a cash or non-perishable food donation. All donations stay with the local food banks.
Since beginning in 1999, more than $21 million has been raised and roughly five million pounds of food collected in North America.
The Bow Valley Food Bank serves Canmore, Exshaw, Seebe, Dead Man’s Flats, Lac Des Arcs, Harvie Heights and Kananaskis, while the Banff Food Bank is for Banff and area.
A full schedule of stops is available at www.cpr.ca/holidaytrain.
STOPS IN THE REGION – DEC. 13
- Mînî Thnî: 4:15 to 4:45 p.m. near the Morley gas station
- Canmore: 5:45 to 6:30 p.m. behind the Save-on-Foods and Canadian Tire
- Banff: 7 to 7:45 p.m. at the Banff train station
