CN and CPR announce new network initiatives to improve customer service, rail asset utilization
17 November 2004 - 3:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
CN and CPR announce new network initiatives to improve customer
service, rail asset utilization (Editors: Downloadable maps
illustrating the network initiatives are available on the CN and
CPR websites) MONTREAL and CALGARY, Nov. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/
-- CN and Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) have reached agreement on
three new network initiatives that will improve railway transit
times and asset utilization in British Columbia, Alberta and
Ontario. The latest initiatives provide for: - A slot-sharing
arrangement allowing CPR to move eight trains a week of bulk
commodities over CN's line between Edmonton and CPR's network at
Coho, B.C., near Kamloops, a distance of about 550 miles. Under the
arrangement, which has been tested for the past several months by
the railways, trains are equipped with CPR locomotives and operated
by CN crews. At Coho, CPR trains enter already-established
directional running trackage that sees all westbound trains of both
railways move through the Fraser Valley on CN's line and all
eastbound trains move on CPR's line. - Directional running over
about 100 miles of parallel CPR and CN track in Ontario between
Waterfall, near Sudbury, and Parry Sound. The two railways will
operate eastbound trains over the CN line and westbound trains over
CPR's line, improving network fluidity in this corridor; - A
haulage arrangement, with CN freight moving over about 300 miles of
CPR track in Ontario between Thunder Bay and a junction with CN at
Franz using CPR's route north of Lake Superior. This arrangement
will permit the rationalization of about 200 miles of CN secondary
track in Ontario between Thunder Bay and Longlac. CN will maintain
transportation service to affected shippers. E. Hunter Harrison,
president and chief executive officer of CN, said: "With these new
arrangements, CN and CPR are unlocking efficient ways of improving
service, increasing track capacity and maximizing utilization of
railway infrastructure. These agreements are clear wins for our
respective customers and shareholders." Robert Ritchie, CPR's
president and chief executive officer, said: "These initiatives are
the product of an extensive review that showed opportunities in
eastern and western Canada for quick improvements in the
utilization of railway infrastructure. Along with our Port of
Vancouver agreements to make rail operations more efficient for
port freight traffic, these new initiatives again demonstrate that
the highly competitive railway industry can work in a spirit of
co-operation to respond to shipper needs." Canadian National
Railway Company spans Canada and mid-America, from the Atlantic and
Pacific oceans to the Gulf of Mexico, serving the ports of
Vancouver, Prince Rupert, B.C., Montreal, Halifax, New Orleans, and
Mobile, Ala., and the key cities of Toronto, Buffalo, Chicago,
Detroit, Duluth, Minn./Superior, Wis., Green Bay, Wis.,
Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, St. Louis, and Jackson, Miss., with
connections to all points in North America. For more information,
visit CN's website at http://www.cn.ca/. Canadian Pacific Railway
is a transcontinental carrier operating in Canada and the U.S. Its
14,000-mile rail network serves the principal centres of Canada,
from Montreal to Vancouver, and the U.S. Northeast and Midwest
regions. CPR feeds directly into America's heartland from the East
and West coasts. Alliances with other carriers extend its market
reach throughout the U.S. and into Mexico. Canadian Pacific
Logistics Solutions provides logistics and supply chain expertise
worldwide. For more information, visit CPR's website at
http://www.cpr.ca/. DATASOURCE: Canadian Pacific Railway CONTACT:
CN: Media - Mark Hallman, (905) 669-3384; Investors - Robert
Noorigian, (514) 399-0052; Canadian Pacific Railway: Media - Len
Cocolicchio, (403) 319-7591, E-mail: ; Investors - Paul Bell,
Vice-President, Investor Relations, (403) 319-3591, E-mail:
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