CP Holiday Train stops in Belleville

The CP Holiday Train rolled into Belleville just before 9 a.m. Thursday morning. Photo by Mike Fleming, QNet News

By Mike Fleming

BELLEVILLE – A large crowd gathered on Keegan Parkway Thursday morning for a visit from a special train. 

The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train, a decorated train that has travelled across Canada at Christmastime for 20 years to help raise money for local charities, made a stop in Belleville. The train arrived shortly before 9 a.m. and was greeted with cheers from the crowd. 

The event included live music from Terri Clark, Sierra Noble and Kelly Prescott. CP also made a donation to Gleaners Food Bank, which hosted the event, of $7,000. Susanne Quinlan, director of operations for Gleaners, said she appreciated the 

Susanne Quinlan of Gleaners Food Bank says she was very pleased by the turnout for the Holiday Train. Photo by Mike Fleming, QNet News

“The generosity of that company to do this across Canada, and the cost – you don’t see a lot of companies doing that anymore,” Quinlan said.

She estimated the crowd at between 2,000 and 2,500 people. While there was no fee to attend, Gleaners did collect donations of food and money.

Elizabeth Rice, a resident of Belleville, said she was pleased to help out. 

“I like that we collect for Gleaners Food Bank, because I do that on a weekly basis,” she said, adding that she enjoys seeing the community come together for the event. 

The Holiday Train made two more stops in the area Wednesday morning. It arrived in Trenton around 10:15 a.m. and in Brighton at 11:30, before continuing west on its cross-country tour. The train will make stops in other parts of Ontario, as well as in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. It will make its final stop in Port Coquitlam, B.C., on Dec. 18. 

In addition, a second train is running through parts of Southern Ontario and the United States before making its final stop in Weyburn, Sask., on Dec. 16. 

A large crowd gathered at the Holiday Train to hear live music. Photo by Mike Fleming, QNet News