CP Holiday Train back on the tracks

After two years of virtual concerts, the Canadian Pacific (CP) Holiday Train is back. It's a thousand feet of train, snaking its way across Canada, bringing Christmas cheer to communities large and small.

The 24th annual Canadian Pacific Holiday Train started in Montreal Sunday and is bound for Vancouver, making many spots in between.

In Smiths Falls, Ont. Monday evening, crowds of hundreds lining the tracks hoping for the best view as the train pulled up.

Joanne Wills brought her son Ivan for the first time, she says it’s an experience she wanted him to have.

“The last time I was here I was pregnant with him so this has been a really special moment I can share with my son,” Wills said. “It brings happiness the joy of Christmas and the holidays, it brings a sense of community to everyone.”

Organizers say CP runs two Holiday Trains, one in Canada and the other in the U.S. Between the two, they will visit more than 160 communities.

Along the way the trains collect food and money for local food banks, offering important support for families in the holiday season.

In the last two decades the Holiday Train has raised over $21 million and collected five million pounds of food for community food banks across the continent.

You can find the Holiday Train’s next stop here.