MONTREAL — Canadian National on Wednesday will unveil two locomotives clad in a special paint scheme saluting veterans in Canada and the United States. November 11, which falls on the day the armistice was signed to end World War I in 1918, is Veterans Day in the U.S. and Remembrance Day in Canada. “CN’s two […]
Zone & Region: Canada
Digest: Canada revises cold-weather rules for hazardous-material trains
Monday morning rail news: Canada revises rules on cold-weather speed restrictions for hazardous-material trains Canada’s Minister of Transport on Friday issued an order modifying previous rules regarding train operation in cold weather, basing the new rule on temperatures rather than a winter date range. As with the previous rule, issued in April [see “Canada issues […]
Digest: Transportation Safety Board says sudden track failure led to CN derailment
More Thursday morning rail news: Transportation Safety Board cites sudden track failure in CN derailment A sudden track failure, likely reflecting wide-gauge conditions which developed quickly because of unit train traffic, is the likely cause of the January 2020 derailment of a Canadian National train en route to Prince Rupert, British Columbia. The Transportation Safety […]
Digest: Huron Central, preparing for shutdown, notifies employees of layoffs
More Wednesday midday rail news: Huron Central gives employees notice of job termination, still hopes for government support Huron Central Railway, the 179-mile Genesee & Wyoming short line between Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury, Ontario, has given employees formal notice that their jobs will be terminated with the end of railway operations on Dec. 18. SooToday.com says […]
Two rail issues on Transportation Safety Board of Canada’s Watchlist
GATINEAU, Quebec — Two rail-specific issues, and others with rail connection, are on the Transportation Safety Board of Canada’s Watchlist 2020 of key transportation safety issues. The agency issued the annual list, in its 10th years, on Thursday. New to the list, which includes eight items, is “unplanned or uncontrolled movement of railway equipment” [addressed in […]
Steamy snow scene
A pair of Canadian Pacific 2-8-2s, Nos. 5410 and 5329, drift with their grain extra down into the Eaton River valley just west of Cookshire, Quebec, in the mid-1950s. Cookshire was home to one of five water tanks on the line east from Montreal into Maine, and most eastbound trains would stop there. Photo by […]
Canadian Pacific deploying new broken-rail detection system in dark territory
CALGARY, Alberta — Canadian Pacific is deploying a new homegrown system that can detect broken rails in dark territory at a fraction of the cost of installing centralized traffic control. The system, which is being installed initially on the North Line in Alberta and Saskatchewan, will make the railway safer and more efficient, CEO Keith […]
News report: Transport Canada finds CP failed to identify hazards in mountain operation
Investigating the fatal February 2019 runaway train incident in the Canadian Rockies, Transport Canada says Canadian Pacific failed to properly identify safety hazards involved in operations on Kicking Horse Pass — a finding CP disputes — and given the railroad until today to fix the problems. The CBC reports that if the problems are not addressed, […]
VIA Rail Canada to resume service between Vancouver, Winnipeg
MONTREAL — VIA Rail Canada will resume service on the Vancouver-Winnipeg portion of the route of its flagship train, the Canadian, as of Dec. 11. In a Tuesday press release announcing the service, the passenger operator said it would offer one round trip per week between those cities, while observing health and safety measures including social distancing, […]
Canadian Pacific executives upbeat despite down quarter
CALGARY, Alberta — Canadian Pacific’s earnings slumped in the third quarter due to pandemic-related volume declines, but the railway boosted its outlook for the year and expects to set a fourth-quarter operating ratio record as traffic growth accelerates. CP on Tuesday morning reported its operating income decreased 10%, to $779 million, as revenue fell 6%, to […]
Woodstock, Ontario
Woodstock is a city of 38,000 in southwestern Ontario, located between Hamilton and London. The city promotes itself as “The Friendly City” and is known as the Dairy Capital of Canada. Woodstock is the seat of Oxford County and is a center of automotive manufacturing. Both Canadian National and Canadian Pacific own track through Woodstock, […]
Digest: Three reappointed to VIA board of directors
Friday midday rail news: Three members of VIA Rail Canada board reappointed Canada’s Minister of Transport, Marc Garneau, has announced three appointments to the VIA Rail Canada board of directors. Daniel Francis Gallivan of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Kennth Ching Whay Tan of Richmond, B.C., both of whom joined the board in June 2017, were reappointed for […]