CPKC Holiday Train to return to New Albin and Lansing November 24
After traveling a different route last year, The Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited (CPKC) Holiday Train is scheduled to make its return to the Lansing and New Albin areas again this year as part of its 2025 trek to help raise money, food and awareness for local food banks in communities along the CPKC network. The festive railway celebration is scheduled to make its way through northeast Iowa Monday, November 24, traveling southward this year instead of northward as in year’s past and making Allamakee County stops in New Albin and Lansing that afternoon, before continuing south to Marquette, Guttenberg and Dubuque that same Monday.
Highlighting the return of the Holiday Train will be a pair of concert performers, Smash Mouth and JJ Wilde, who will present about a half-hour show at each location. Female rock music artist JJ Wilde had a chart-topping debut album “Ruthless” in 2020 and is the first female artist to simultaneously hit number-one on all three Canadian rock charts with her debut SOCAN Award-winning single “The Rush”, and followed that achievement with two more back-to-back number ones, “Best Boy” and “Mercy”. Wilde has shared the stage with acclaimed acts including Incubus, Pearl Jam, Scorpions, and KISS. Smash Mouth, the multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated pop rock band, has delivered over six Top 20 hits, including the iconic anthem “All-Star,” which surpassed one billion streams on Spotify and is one of two Smash Mouth tracks featured in the movie “Shrek”. The band has performed alongside legendary acts such as U2, Lenny Kravitz, *NSYNC and KISS.
The Holiday Train’s Monday, November 24 trek through northeast Iowa is scheduled for the following event performance times: New Albin - 1:45-2:15 p.m., Lansing - 3:30-4 p.m., Marquette - 5:30-6 p.m., Guttenberg - 7:30-8 p.m. and Dubuque - 9:45-10:15 p.m. The two Allamakee County visits in Lansing and New Albin will find the Holiday Train coming to a stop in New Albin near the parking lot adjacent to the railroad tracks on Railroad Avenue between Ross Avenue and Oak Street. The Lansing stop will take place near the ballfield in Lansing along South Front Street between John Street and Dodge Street.
The 2025 Holiday Train will feature a tribute to its travel partner this year, as after 23 years of stopping in communities during the holiday season, the Holiday Express that has also traveled throughout the United States and Canada will be retired. To recognize the legacy of the Holiday Express, its engine Rudy will be featured in lights with a mural that will be part of this year’s U.S. Holiday Train’s lighting design.
Those attending the Holiday Train events are asked to bring a cash or non-perishable food donation if they are able. Those local donations, along with a presentation from Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited, will benefit the Allamakee County Food Shelf, Lansing Iowa Food Trust (LIFT) and the Way Station in New Albin. Canadian Pacific launched the Holiday Train in 1999, continuing its efforts of raising money, collecting food and drawing attention to food security issues and the important work of local food banks. In its 26 years of existence, the train has raised more than $26 million and collected approximately 5.4 million pounds of food for local food banks in communities along the CPKC railroad network.
