CN operations in British Columbia near normal after flood disruptions

MONTREAL — Canadian National rail operations in British Columbia have nearly returned to normal after disruptions from Nov. 14 to Dec. 3 caused by flooding and washouts, the railroad reported on Tuesday, even as repairs continue around the clock.

A 150-mile stretch on the railroad’s line between Vancouver and Kamloops, B.C., experienced 58 outages from flood damage. More than 400 employees and contract workers and more than 110 pieces of heavy equipment worked 24 hours a day to restore the line. The effort required moving more than 282,000 cubic yards of rock, earth, and backfill materials.

“We could not be prouder of the remarkable work done by our railroaders and suppliers to get goods moving again while also answering the call to help out neighbors in times of need.” CN CEO JJ Ruest said in a press release. “The strategic capital investments we made in our capacity over the last few years has once again enabled us to be resilient and recover quickly. We know that there remains work ahead of us to get supply chains back in balance. We are committed to getting the job done and we are encouraged by the results to date and the operating metrics which demonstrate that we are achieving success in restoring close to normal productivity.”

CN also donated $100,000 to the Canadian Red Cross to help with flood relief efforts, as did Canadian Pacific [see “CP, CN make $100,000 donations …,” Trains News Wire, Nov. 23, 2021]. CP faced similar obstacles with flood damage to its line through the Fraser and Thompson River canyons, which operate as paired trackage with CN [see “CP line in British Columbia expected to reopen …,” News Wire, Nov. 23, 2021].