CLOQUET, Minn. and ST. LAZARE, Manitoba – It was a bad weekend for BNSF Railway and Canadian National as both railroads suffered derailments Feb. 16 in Minnesota and Manitoba, respectively. Around 11:25 a.m. Saturday a westbound BNSF coal train bound for Minnesota Power’s Boswell Energy Center at Cohasset, Minn., derailed 40 cars near Draco siding […]
Late CSX Transportation CEO E. Hunter Harrison speaks before the Surface Transportation Board in 2017. R.G. Edmonson The spread of E. Hunter Harrison’s Precision Scheduled Railroading operating model across the industry may be driven by investors and Wall Street. But it is being implemented by a cadre of Harrison disciples from his days at Illinois […]
MONTREAL — Canadian National will continue making major capacity improvements in western Canada this year, with nearly 80 miles of additional double track and three siding projects in the works for its lines linking Canadian West Coast ports, the Prairies, and Chicago. CN has been growing quickly on its spine between Edmonton, Alberta, and Winnipeg, […]
The Canadian National Railways started off by acquiring a handful of bankrupt and government owned railways, but soon after this takeover, and over the next decade, the Canadian National Railways expanded significantly as it purchased railroads in the United States. In this free 39-page PDF download, we dive into the details behind: The Wisconsin Central, […]
Jim Vena, Union Pacific chief operating officer Canadian National OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific has named former Canadian National executive Jim Vena as its chief operating officer, effectively putting a protege of E. Hunter Harrison in charge of its transition to Precision Scheduled Railroading. Vena, 60, served as CN’s chief operating officer from February 2013 […]
TORONTO — Canadian National has completed its $400 million in capacity projects in Western Canada. As a result, CN’s key operating metrics are improving and costs are being reduced as trains move faster and cars spend less time in yards, Chief Financial Officer Ghislain Houle told an investor conference on Tuesday. CN has returned two […]
CHICAGO – Canadian National plans to bring back its employee-center Santa Train for the 2018 with a broader reach. The railroad made the announcement with a Facebook post on Thursday: “CN is delighted to announce it is expanding a decades-old tradition with a 2018 Santa Train that will provide more employees, their families and friends […]
Canadian National MONTREAL — The completion of double-tracking projects on Canadian National between Edmonton, Alberta, and Winnipeg, Manitoba, helped the railroad handle record traffic levels on its key corridor this month. CN has now placed in service 22 of its 27 capacity-expansion projects on its main line linking western Canada with Chicago. CN has been […]
A Canadian National train crosses Echo Lake in Burlington, Wis., in May 2018. CN’s CEO says the railroad should pursue other technological opportunities before working on autonomous train operation. TRAINS: David Lassen BOSTON – Canadian National CEO Jean-Jacques Ruest says there’s a whole lot of low-hanging technology fruit that his railroad can pick before moving toward […]
A view of containerships at the rail terminal in Port of Prince Rupert, British Columbia. Port of Prince Rupert via Twitter PRINCE RUPERT, B.C. – Canadian National will get another intermodal boost from the fast-growing Port of Prince Rupert, which on Tuesday announced a container port expansion that should be complete in 2022. The port […]
CN SD60Fs meet train 393 as they move eastward at Aldershot West, Burlington, Ont., on May 5, 2006. Greg McDonnell Q I recently saw Canadian National Railway diesel No. 5553 switching a cut of cars in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and was unable to determine who built this locomotive. It had six axles and no running […]
NEW YORK — Canadian National, alone among the big Class I systems, is expanding its locomotive fleet to handle a surge of traffic and anticipated growth to come. CN is struggling to keep up with stronger-than-anticipated volume amid crew shortages and congestion, particularly on the railway’s key corridor linking Edmonton, Alberta, and Chicago. Locomotives also […]
