Caltrain Holiday Train Headed Through South San Francisco Soon

The following is a news release from Caltrain:

Bay Area residents know the holiday season has arrived when the Caltrain Holiday Train, presented by Silicon Valley Community Foundation, makes its way from San Francisco to Santa Clara. The first weekend in December, Saturday, Dec. 6, and Sunday, Dec. 7, will be the 12thyear the beloved train has chugged down the Peninsula. The “bedazzled” train has become a favorite holiday tradition for communities all along the Caltrain rail corridor.

To spread the word about the spectacular event, one Caltrain passenger car “wrapped” in the Holiday Train artwork is in regular service until the end of December.

Decorated with tens of thousands of lights, the Holiday Train will visit nine Caltrain stations on the evenings of December 6th and 7th. At each of the train’s 20-minute station stops, people can join in singing with onboard carolers and a Salvation Army brass band. Santa, Mrs. Claus and their extended family including Frosty the Snowman and the Toy Solider will get off the train to greet kids and pose for pictures. Prior to the arrival of the train, families can enjoy live entertainment at each of the Holiday Train station stops. Food trucks will also be onsite in Mountain View, Santa Clara, Menlo Park and Sunnyvale.

“We are proud to be a part of the great local tradition of Holiday Train,” said Emmett Carson, CEO and president of Silicon Valley Community Foundation. “The excitement and joy that the train brings to people when it pulls into the stations is truly a gift to our local communities.”

In keeping with the spirit of the season, the Holiday Train also offers people the opportunity to make a gift to a child in need. Representatives from The Salvation Army and the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program will be at every station collecting toys for local children. Since the inception of the Holiday Train, generous Bay Area residents have brought nearly 50,000 toys to Caltrain stations. People are again encouraged to help make the holidays brighter for local children by bringing a new, unwrapped toy to donate when they visit the Holiday Train.

“The Holiday Train is a unique opportunity for the Bay Area to come together and, in the spirit of the season, make the holidays a little brighter for families in need,” said Caltrain Chair Tom Nolan.

Santa’s helpers can get into the holiday spirit by donating or becoming a sponsor on the Holiday Train website, holiday-train.org, and by following Caltrain and Silicon Valley Community Foundation on Twitter using the hashtag #HolidayTrain2014 to help spread the word.

The Holiday Train would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors for everything from decorations and wiring to costumes.

Holiday Train Schedule

Saturday, December 6 (Station and arrival time):

• San Francisco: 4:00 p.m.
• Burlingame: 5:15 p.m.
• Redwood City: 6:15 p.m.
• Mountain View: 6:55 p.m.
• Santa Clara: 8:10 p.m.

Sunday, December 7

• San Francisco: 4:00 p.m.
• Millbrae: 5:15 p.m.
• San Mateo: 6:20 p.m.
• Menlo Park: 7:45 p.m.
• Sunnyvale: 8:40 p.m.

(Patch file photo)