MONTREAL — Canadian National has published its 2022-23 Winter Plan, which outlines measures by the railroad to meet operating needs during winter weather as required by the Canada Transportation Act.
The railroad says those measures include an increase of 850 employees between the start of 2022 and the end of June, with 500 additional conductors expected to graduate through the end of the year; 57 additional locomoties; 800 new boxcars to be delivered in early 2023 and 500 new hopper cars to be delivered during the 2022-23 crop year; and deployment of acoustic bearing detectors and launch of third-generation automated track inspection cars.
CN CEO Tracy Robinson said in a press release that the plan reflects a focus on “getting back to basics” by “running a scheduled operation, aligning capacity with demand, and working closely with our customers and stakeholders to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of the full supply chain. … The steps outlined in this plan will help ensure a more efficient and resilient CN network and an increasingly reliable and resilient supply chain.”
Surprised not part of the plan is to throw sand in the journals of the CP[KC] merger.
CN had extensive winter plan back in the 1990’s with reserve capacity such as groups of locomotives stored serviceable at strategic network locations, inside heated building for quick deployment.
The great visionnary Hunter Harrison came and ordered this to stop, as it does not represent efficient assess utilisation in his view. Then train length gradually from 5000-7000′ to 10000-16000′, power assignment didn’t grow accordingly and HP/ton ratio fell. Locomotives became overworked and would die on the road, more trains would die in their departing terminal because they were unable to pump-up their brake pipe, and trains also got cancelled because of workers shortage. Cars would be stored on main lines because yard were plugged by delayed cars and dead trains.
The following year, it happened again. And again. And again. It keeps happening and will happen again, unless the new CEO can get rid of PSR and focus on operating a fluid, efficient, safe and customer-friendly railroad. Probably won’t happen if she wants to keep her job, no matter what the Winter plan actually says.
None of the highlights pertain to winter. They are all investments or hiring CN would make in the normal course of business. I assume the Winter Plan has details of how they will address actual winter issues.