BNSF Holiday Express treats military families

Local military families in and around aptly named North Pole, Idaho, were given a Holiday Express train trip Wednesday courtesy of BNSF. BNSF boarded roughly 300 people at its Hauser, Idaho, refueling stop for a 90-minute train trip, as a show of appreciation for those in military service.

Following the event, the BNSF Foundation gave the Idaho National Guard and Reserve Family Support Fund $10,000. BNSF plans to distribute a total of $90,000 to military groups this holiday season.

The Holiday Express is in its third year of operation. BNSF ran the train through Montana, Wyoming, and North Dakota in 2008, while last year’s Express traveled through Kansas.

“This is our unique way of saying thank you to military personnel and their families for the freedoms they bring not only to the state, but the nation and world,” said BNSF spokesman Gus Melonas. “BNSF has a close relationship with the families and we’re a major employer of Guard and Reserve soldiers.”