No injuries reported in Saskatchewan derailment

Canadian officials reported no injuries Wednesday morning, Oct. 8, 2014, in the aftermath of a CN train derailment occurring Tuesday near Wadena, Saskatchewan that generated smoke and some fears of toxic release.

CN sells Georgetown-Kitchener line segment to Metrolinx

Metrolinx, the Province of Ontario’s regional transportation agency for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA), is purchasing the 33-mile Georgetown-Kitchener segment of CN’s Guelph Subdivision.

CN again named to Dow Jones Sustainability World Index

CN’s sustainability practices have earned it a place on the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI) for the third consecutive year that the railroad has been listed on the DJSI World Index, and for the sixth consecutive year that it has been listed on the DJSI North America Index.

Locomotives: Is LNG the next generation?

LNG is one of several advanced technologies changing motive power in significant ways.

CN inaugurates Winnipeg training center

CN on Sept. 9, 2014 officially opened its new employee training center in Winnipeg. The 100,000-square-foot facility is currently hosting 350-plus CN students from across Canada on a weekly basis, with hands-on training for all key railway jobs.

Algoma Central, CN seek passenger service operators

The Algoma Central Railway Passenger Service Working Group is seeking a contract operator for ACR’s passenger service between Sault Ste. Marie and Hearst, Ontario, and has issued a request for Expressions of Interest (EOI). The purpose of this non-binding invitation is to pre-qualify companies to participate in an upcoming Request for Proposal (RFP) process that will identify one or more parties to be part of a stakeholder plan to have a third party operate the service.
Commentary

Rail revenue adequacy? Well, sort of

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) ruled Sept. 2 that five Class I railroads—BNSF, U.S. affiliates of Canadian National and Canadian Pacific, Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific—are revenue adequate. That is, they achieved a rate of return on investments used to provide railroad service that is at least equal to the average cost of that investment capital.

CN, CP: Bring on the harvest

Canada’s 2014-2015 grain harvest will soon be under way, and both CN and Canadian Pacific say they are well-prepared to accommodate the new harvest with a steady throughput rate in synch with the grain supply chain, and are able to address the excess carryover from last year’s record crop by as early as next spring.

CN toughs out a challenging first quarter

“The winter of a lifetime,” as described by CN President and CEO Claude Mongeau, bumped up CN’s first-quarter 2014 operating expenses and ratio compared to the year-ago quarter, but despite these challenges, the railroad posted gains in revenues, operating income, and net income.

Mongeau continues assault on “intrusive re-regulation”

“Intrusive re-regulation of railways alone will not increase rail volumes of grain, now or in the future,” CN President and CEO Claude Mongeau said in an address to the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce. “Canada’s grain handling and transportation system can only succeed in efficiently moving more grain to market if commercial incentives align the supply chain and if all supply chain participants are held accountable for their performance.”

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