Public invited to share holiday cheer at free event on Dec. 17 supporting Toys for Tots, featuring historic steam locomotive, rail car display and visit from Santa.
LOS ANGELES, 2016-Dec-16 — /Travel PR News/ — Santa will trade in his sleigh and eight tiny reindeer for vintage rail cars and an 874,346-pound steam locomotive decked out for the holidays at the first-ever Holiday TrainFest and Toy Drive at Los Angeles Union Station.
The free, family-friendly event will take place on Saturday, Dec. 17, from
4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Track 14 at Los Angeles Union Station, located at 800 N. Alameda St. in Los Angeles. Staff will be on hand to collect donations of new, unwrapped toys in support of Toys for Tots, and new socks to assist the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.
“We are excited to have the community come to Union Station for this wonderful event,” said Metrolink Board Chairman and Orange County Supervisor Shawn Nelson. “To have LOSSAN, Amtrak, Metrolink and others partner with the community to provide toys and socks to those in need this time of year is outstanding.”
Attendees will be able to:
- See the historic Santa Fe 3751 steam locomotive up close
- Tour vintage rail cars from the 1940s and 1950s decorated for the holidays
- Explore Amtrak® and Metrolink rail equipment, including Metrolink’s Tier 4 locomotive and a safety wrapped passenger car
- Enjoy holiday refreshments
- Meet local police and firefighters, and
- Visit with Santa Claus
The Holiday TrainFest and Toy Drive is presented by the Los Angeles – San Diego – San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) Rail Corridor Agency and Amtrak Pacific Surfliner® in partnership with Metrolink, the San Bernardino Railroad Historical Society, L.A. Rail, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) and Toys for Tots. The U. S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program collects new, unwrapped toys and distributes the toys as holiday gifts to less fortunate children in the local community.
Participants can travel to the event by train from points throughout southern California, including Orange County, Ventura County, San Bernardino and the Antelope Valley using Amtrak Pacific Surfliner or Metrolink service. Visit PacificSurfliner.com or MetrolinkTrains.com for additional information, including schedules and fares.
For more information about the Holiday TrainFest and Toy Drive at Los Angeles Union Station, visit Facebook.com/PacificSurfliner.
ABOUT METROLINK (www.metrolinktrains.com)
Metrolink is Southern California’s regional commuter rail service in its 24th year of operation. Metrolink is governed by The Southern California Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA), a joint powers authority made up of an 11-member board representing the transportation commissions of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties. Metrolink operates seven routes through a six-county, 536 route-mile network. Metrolink’s passengers travel approximately 441 million miles each year, making Metrolink the second busiest public transportation provider in Southern California. Metrolink is the third largest commuter rail agency in the United States based on directional route miles and the eighth largest based on annual ridership.
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