31 July 2008
CP: Rumors of the Death of our Steam Program are Greatly Exaggerated
Calgary Alberta - An Internet rumor circulated today
stating Canadian Pacific Railway is canceling its steam program and Royal Canadian Pacific cruise train. Trouble is, it's completely
untrue, said CP spokesman Mike LoVecchio.
The rumor "drives me nuts," he told Trains News Wire.
CP recently reported disappointing earnings for this year's second quarter. The earnings were down 40 percent from last year. The Web
site cordovaStation.ca reported that, due to CP's "poor performance," it was canceling the steam program and the cruise
train. The Web site has since posted a correction.
"There's no doubt we're being watched right now," LoVecchio said. "We had a disappointing quarter. We are on an
efficiency drive right now. But we are not going to sacrifice our community relations on the altar of efficiency."
CP keeps a high profile in the communities it serves. Its steam program, represented by 4-6-4 "Hudson" No. 2816,
frequently tours the system and opens itself up to the public. And each winter, CP's "Santa Train" traverses the network and
brings out crowds to generate donations to local food banks.
"We are known. Ask any community we serve," said LoVecchio. "That has tremendous value to us. It's an intangible, but it
shows our commitment to work with communities."
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