(WBNG Binghamton) New York Sen. Chuck Schumer is urging the company that bought part of the track a holiday train ran on to keep the tradition of stopping in the Southern Tier.
Canadian Pacific ran the “Canadian Pacific Holiday Train of Lights” over the D&H South line. In September, more than 280 miles of track from Sunbury, Pennsylvania to Schenectady, New York was purchased by Norfolk Southern Corp.
Because of that transaction, Canadian Pacific can no longer bring the holiday train to the Oneonta and Binghamton communities.
Through the holiday train, Canadian Pacific brought organizations, like Opportunities for Otsego and the Community Hunger Outreach Warehouse (CHOW), food and cash donations.
After hearing how unhappy people are about that news, Schumer decided to get involved. He’s asking Norfolk Southern to continue the tradition.
“I have written the Norfolk Southern, and I’ll be calling them as well, to urge them to continue the tradition of the Christmas train,” Schumer (D) said. “As a U.S. senator, I can’t force them to do it. It’s up to the railroads. But those railroads come to us all the time, for one thing or another, and I think I’m going to let them know how important continuing the Christmas train is to me.”
Canadian Pacific said it will still make an annual donation to all of its partners one last time this year.
For CHOW food pantries, the Holiday Train not only provides them with a bigger variety of food than private donations, but it also comes at one of the most important times of the year.
“It brings the people out, and they provide food,” food pantry volunteer at Centenary United Methodist Church Karl Zegger said. “The CHOW truck is there, and they fill it. It’s important for our community because all the big fundraising times have passed by then.”
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