For CN, $485MM in U.S. Capex for 2022

CN is spending $20 million this year on capital projects in Iowa, where it operates 574 railroad route miles and employs about 230 people. (Photograph Courtesy of CN via Twitter)

CN in 2022 will invest a total of $485 million in U.S. capital projects throughout the states of Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Tennessee and Wisconsin.

The Class I railroad late last month reported the work, which covers technology, capacity, rolling stock and company-wide decarbonization initiatives, as well as network improvements.

“We continue to make significant investments in our network, technology and capacity,” said Sean Finn, Executive Vice President, Corporate Services, and Chief Legal Officer at CN. “We are building the premier railroad of the 21st century to do even more for our customers, railroaders, shareholders, and the communities in which we operate.”

Following is a breakdown, by state, of the maintenance projects CN said it will take on this year:

• Illinois, $150 million: Replace more than 10 miles of rail; install approximately 133,000 new crossties; rebuild 35 road crossing surfaces; and perform maintenance work on bridges, culverts, signal systems, and other track infrastructure. CN has made more than $1 billion in capital investments in Illinois over the past five years. The railroad employs approximately 1,500 railroaders and operates 1,254 railroad route miles in the state, and spent $347,000 in 2021 on community partnerships there.

• Iowa, $20 million: Replace more than 14 miles of rail; install some 9,000 new crossties; rebuild 14 road crossing surfaces; and conduct maintenance work on bridges, culverts, signal systems, and other track infrastructure. Over the past five years, the Class I railroad has spent more than $150 million on capital investments in the state, where it employs approximately 230 people and operates 574 railroad route miles. CN also invested $8,000 in community partnerships last year.

• Louisiana, $25 million: Replace four miles of rail; install approximately 20,000 new crossties; rebuild 16 road crossing surfaces; and perform maintenance work on bridges, culverts, signal systems, and other track infrastructure. CN has invested more than $300 million in Louisiana-based capital projects over the past five years. It employs about 280 people in the state and operates 239 railroad route miles there. Additionally, the Class I spent $9,000 on local community partnerships in 2021.

• Michigan, $55 million: Replace more than four-plus miles of rail; install approximately 50,000 new crossties; rebuild 19 road crossing surfaces; and conduct maintenance work on bridges, culverts, signal systems, and other track infrastructure. CN operates 905 railroad route miles in the state, where it employs about 940 railroaders, and has spent more than $350 million there in the past five years on capital projects as well as $111,000 in 2021 on community partnerships.

• Minnesota, $55 million: Replace approximately five miles of rail; install more than 105,000 new crossties; rebuild 14 road crossing surfaces; and perform maintenance work on bridges, culverts, signal systems, and other track infrastructure. In Minnesota, CN operates 426 railroad route miles and employs about 540 people. It spent more than $300 million there in the past five years on capital projects as well as $126,000 in 2021 on community partnerships.

• Mississippi, $65 million: Replace about five miles of rail; install approximately 130,000 new crossties; rebuild 14 road crossing surfaces; and conduct maintenance work on bridges, culverts, signal systems, and other track infrastructure. CN has made more than $300 million in capital investments over the past five years in the state, where it employs about 460 railroaders and operates 575 railroad route miles. Additionally, it spent $65,000 on community partnerships in 2021.

• Tennessee, $30 million: Install approximately 38,000 new crossties; rebuild 16 road crossing surfaces; and perform maintenance work on bridges, culverts, signal systems, and other track infrastructure. In the state, CN operates 173 railroad route miles and employs about 560 people. It has spent more than $200 million in the past five years there, plus $39,000 in 2021 on community partnerships.

• Wisconsin, $85 million: Replace approximately 10 miles of rail; install about 10,000 new crossties; rebuild 53 road crossing surfaces; and conduct maintenance work on bridges, culverts, signal systems, and other track infrastructure. CN spent some $700 million in the past five years in the state, where it operates 1,428 railroad route miles and employs about 1,150 people. In 2021, the Class I spent $175,000 on local community partnerships.