Unifor ratifies contract with Canadian National

Logo of Canadian union Unifor

MONTREAL — Members of the Canadian union Unifor have ratified a two-year contract with Canadian National Railway, the union announced Friday. The union and railway had announced an agreement March 20. The deal covers more than 3,000 mechanical, intermodal, facility management, and clerical positions represented by Unifor’s Local 100 and Council 4000 [see “Canadian National, […]

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New CPKC Chicago-Mexico intermodal service to debut May 11

Red locomotive with single intermodal car

CALGARY, Alberta — CPKC’s first new service — a pair of intermodal trains linking Chicago and Mexico — will launch on May 11, carrying containers from new customers Schneider and Knight-Swift. Daily hotshots 180 and 181 will link Chicago with Laredo, Texas; Monterrey, Mexico; and Mexico City. With third-day service to Laredo, fourth-day to Monterrey, […]

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CPKC adds second major intermodal customer for new Chicago-Mexico service

KCS3947Laredo

CALGARY, Alberta — Knight-Swift will shift its U.S.-Mexico intermodal traffic from Union Pacific to CPKC’s new single-line route beginning in May. CPKC and Knight-Swift announced their multi-year agreement today, just four days after Schneider said it would move its U.S.-Mexico intermodal business from UP to CPKC in May under a similar agreement. “This agreement creates […]

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CN raises earnings outlook despite weakening economy

Train with red and black locomotives on curve

MONTREAL — Strength in bulk traffic and fluid operations propelled Canadian National to first-quarter records for operating income, revenue, and earnings per share. The strong quarter prompted CN to raise its financial outlook for the year to mid single-digit earnings per share growth, up from its previous guidance of low single-digit growth. “It’s important to […]

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CN joins UP and Ferromex for new cross-border intermodal service

Intermodal train with one red and black locomotive on curve

MONTREAL — Canadian National, Union Pacific, and Ferromex will launch new intermodal service next month linking Canada and Detroit with Mexico, the railroads announced today (Monday, April 24). The Falcon Premium service will connect a dozen CN terminals with the Ferromex terminals in Monterrey and Silao via the Eagle Pass, Texas, gateway. CN and UP […]

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CN reaches agreement with Teamsters Canada Rail Conference

Teamsters_Canada_logo

MONTREAL — Canadian National Railway and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference have reached a tentative labor agreement, the parties announced Sunday. The agreement covers approximately 6,000 locomotive engineers, conductors, and yard workers in Canada, who now must ratify the deal. A ratification vote will be held via electronic secret ballot May 5-26. The union said […]

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Canadian government approves major West Coast container terminal

Illustration of proposed intermodal terminal on artificial island

DELTA, British Columbia — The Canadian government announced Thursday it has approved a C$3.5 billion project to build a new West Coast container terminal, subject to some 370 legally binding conditions, the Globe and Mail newspaper reports. The Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project, which has been in development for more than a dozen years, involves […]

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Where does distributed power go?

blue and gold locomotive on track with snow

Distributed power Placing locomotives at various locations within a train is nothing new, although the latest technology has improved the operation and extended the length of trains. The adoption of Precision Scheduled Railroading by most Class I railroads accelerated the push to make trains longer, lowering crew starts, and improving train handling in most situations. […]

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