CN to merge three U.S. subsidiary roads

Canadian National plans to merge three railroads into one, under the Wisconsin Central Railway moniker, by year’s end, the railroad says, in a consolidation that among other advantages could streamline CN rail traffic flows between Winnipeg and Chicago.  

Proctor, Minn.-based Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway, operating in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and Duluth-based Duluth, Winnipeg and Pacific Railway, operating in the same two states plus the province of Ontario, will become part of the much larger Wisconsin Central following approval last month by the Surface Transportation Board.

“The DM&IR and DWP will cease to exist as separate corporations, and all operations would be as the Wisconsin Central,” said CN spokesman Patrick Waldron.“Most people won’t notice a thing. For employees, it’s going to mean the company on their paycheck is Wisconsin Central,” he said. The three railroad properties already are physically linked.

CN says the merger will enhance train movement and efficiency among the three railroads. The three railroads currently are considered separate entities by law, and CN must change crews as cargo moves through the region. CN has 1,400 employees working at Wisconsin Central, 110 in the DWP, and 361 in the DM&IR.

“We think this will actually expand opportunities for some of the DM&IR employees who face seasonal issues with taconite; give them opportunities to work on the Wisconsin Central line,” Waldron said.