CN investing CAN$105 million in Saskatchewan

“We take our essential role in the North American economy seriously and these investments in Saskatchewan are a key part of our strategy to support growth. The company remains committed to help enable supply chains that fuel Saskatchewan’s growth as we are a critical part of getting everyday goods to markets and consumers. Safety is a core value at CN and by investing in the maintenance and expansion of our track and capacity, we are providing customers with a safe and reliable solution at a time when fluid supply chains are more critical than ever,” said James Thompson, Vice-President, Western Region at CN.

Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport, Government of Canada, added: “Remaining committed to supporting Canadian businesses, our government continues to invest in Canada’s economy to encourage economic growth. We are pleased to see companies such as CN do their share by investing in improving safety, growing its capacity and enabling trade through a safe and reliable rail network. As Canadian grain exports from Saskatchewan continue to set new records, farmers need dependable and fluid networks to keep their goods moving to international markets and these investments support that need.”

“The government of Saskatchewan is pleased to see this large capital investment from CN. These projects will help our producers and manufacturers get their products to market, secure our supply chain and support Saskatchewan’s strong growth in the years ahead,” concluded Greg Ottenbreit, Minister of Highways and Infrastructure, government of Saskatchewan.

The company’s investments will create greater capacity, which supports reductions in its customer’s transportation supply chain greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, by encouraging the use of rail for long haul needs. This reduces emissions, traffic congestion, accidents and burdens on public transportation infrastructure as one freight train can replace over 300 trucks from roads. Moving freight by rail instead of truck reduces GHG emissions by 75%. The company will continue to deploy important safety enhancing technologies across its network, such as the Autonomous Track Inspection Programme, Distributed Air Cars and Automated Inspection Portals. Planned expansion projects include continued investments to multi-year infrastructure in southern Saskatchewan.

Maintenance program highlights include:

• Replacement of more than 65 miles of rail.
• Installation of over 145 000 new railroad ties.
• Rebuilds of 12 road crossing surfaces.
• Maintenance work on bridges, culverts, signal systems and other track infrastructure.

Grains and fertilizers, especially potash, make up a substantial portion of the traffic handled by CN in this Prairie province. The traffic also reflects the increasing diversification of the Saskatchewan economy by handling growing volumes of consumer goods and specialty crops through the company’s intermodal terminals in Saskatoon and Canada’s first privately operated intermodal terminal located in the Chuka Creek Business Park in Regina. Both Saskatoon and Regina boast metals distribution facilities. Saskatoon also has an automotive distribution facility and a major rail classification yard. In Bienfait, there is a CargoFlo bulk handling facility as well as forest products and metals distribution centres. Finally, in North Battleford, there is an additional forest products distribution centre.

Read the article online at: https://www.drybulkmagazine.com/rail-barge/09072020/cn-investing-can105-million-in-saskatchewan/