CN

Bartlett's Jacksonville, Ill. grain facility includes a 7,000-foot-long loop and can hold up to 100 railcars.

Bartlett to STB: Approve CPKC, Reject CN’s Springfield Line Bid

Bob Knief, President of Bartlett Grain Co., LP (Bartlett), a leading U.S. exporter of grain to Mexico, submitted a statement on June 22 to the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to address comments and applications filed on the Canadian Pacific (CP) and Kansas City Southern (KCS) merger transaction. Specifically, Bartlett is urging the STB to approve the CPKC (Canadian Pacific Kansas City) transaction and reject CN’s requesting that KCS’s Springfield Line be divested to it.

(Photograph Courtesy of CN, via Twitter)

IBEW Strikes at CN

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers’ (IBEW) in Canada rejected CN’s latest offer and has gone on strike, CN reported June 20.

CN, CSX Scuttle Massena Line Transaction (Updated With Commentary)

CSX and CN have mutually terminated their transaction in which CN would purchase CSX’s Montreal-Syracuse, N.Y., Massena Line and fold it into its Bessemer Subdivision, the former Bessemer & Lake Erie, which CN acquired in 2004 as part of its larger purchase of holding company Great Lakes Transportation.

IBEW signals and communications workers in Canada last ratified a five-year contract with CN at the end of April 2017. (Photograph Courtesy of CN)

IBEW Threatens Strike at CN

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) has notified CN of its intention to strike as of 11 a.m. ET on July 18, the Class I railroad reported June 15.

Under a switching agreement, CIO Railways is now using existing CN track to serve Bioveld Canada’s Thorold Multimodal Hub in the Niagara Region of Ontario. (Photograph of a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony, courtesy of HOPA Ports.)

Intermodal Roundup: HOPA Ports, POLB

GIO Railways Corporation has signed a switching agreement with Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority (HOPA) and Bioveld Canada to return rail service to a 200-acre industrial complex in the Niagara Region of Ontario. Also, May was the second-busiest month on record for the Port of Long Beach in California.

CN to STB: New Amtrak OA Sought—on Our Terms

We recently reported on Amtrak’s request to the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to set terms and conditions for a new operating agreement (OA) between Amtrak and CN, as one of the host railroads whose lines Amtrak uses for its trains.

Wabtec on June 6 launched its new Precision Dispatch System with an order from CN. (Photograph Courtesy of Wabtec)

Wabtec Lands Orders from CN, Fortescue

CN will roll out Wabtec’s new Precision Dispatch System, and mining company Fortescue Metals Group of western Australia will take delivery of Wabtec-modernized locomotives over the next two years.

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Amtrak to STB: We Want New Host Railroad Rules

The authority vested in the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to decide issues concerning passenger trains has been expanding lately. On May 27, Amtrak asked the Board to intervene in a dispute with Canadian National (CN) over a number of issues, including on-time performance (OTP), penalties for low performance, and incentives to improve performance.

Shauneen Bruder (pictured) and 10 other Director nominees proposed by CN management were elected to the CN Board at the railroad’s annual meeting of shareholders on May 20.

For CN, a New Board Chair

Shauneen Bruder has been elected Chair of the CN Board of Directors, succeeding Robert Pace, who in March 2021 announced he would not seek re-election when his term expired.

CN: Rate Increases, Fuel Surcharges Contribute to ‘Sound’ 1Q22

CN’s financial and operating results for first-quarter 2022, a transition period during which President and CEO Tracy Robinson took the reins from the retiring JJ Ruest (Railway Age’s 2019 Railroader of the Year), were “sound,” with the company posting adjusted (non-GAAP) diluted earnings per share (EPS of C$1.32, up 7% from the prior-year-period, and diluted EPS of C$1.31, down 4%.

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