Canadian holiday train starts charity tours across North America

MONTREAL - A 14-car train festooned with Christmas lights and decorations left Montreal railway station on Monday for tours across North America to raise funds and collect food for the poor.

The first train, part of an annual charity program by Canadian Pacific (CP), is expected to travel across the Canadian provinces of Quebec, Ontario, and Saskatchewan, as well as the northern United States, then end the journey in Alberta of Canada.

The second train is to leave Montreal for Vancouver on Tuesday through the middle parts of the Canada.

Musicians on the trains will perform on a stage created from one of the boxcars during the tour.

Since the charity program began 21 years ago, the CP has raised more than 15.8 million Canadian dollars (about $11.9 million) and collected over 2 million kilograms of food donations.