CN revenue up 3% on rebound from wildfires, work stoppage 

“Our scheduled operating plan demonstrated its resilience in the third quarter, allowing us to adapt our operations to challenges posed by wildfires and prolonged labor issues,” said Tracy Robinson, president and chief executive of Montreal-based CN (NAS: CNI), in an earnings release after markets closed. “Our operations recovered quickly and the railroad is running well. As we close 2024, we will continue to focus on recovering volumes, growth, and ensuring our resources are aligned to demand.”

On a call with analysts, Robinson said the railroad was “a well-oiled machine” after rebounding from summer wildfires that shut down operations in parts of Alberta, and a labor dispute in late August that led CN and competitor CPKC to briefly lock out union employees. The Canadian Industrial Relations Board issued a back-to-work order at the request of the federal government. Robinson said the arbitration process that began with the CIRB order was well underway. She added that margins had been affected by the wildfires and lockout.

Intermodal was hard-hit by the work stoppage and Robinson said CN expects a gradual return for international intermodal, in particular the mix of U.S. business through the Canadian west coast container ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert. 

Carload gains were led by long-haul international intermodal although domestic weakness led to a flat category overall; petrochemical products, up 9%, and automotive, ahead 8%. Grain carloads increased 2%. Total carloads were 4% better than 2023. Overall intermodal revenue ton-miles (RTMs) were essentially flat on lower domestic business that Robinson said tracked mixed signals around consumer confidence. Labor uncertainty, market softness and an oversupply of truck capacity contributed to a softer macroeconomic environment than management had anticipated, and one she sees continuing into next year.

Car velocity (208 miles per day), dwell time (7.1 hours) and train speed (19.2 m.p.h.) were unchanged. The accident rate dropped from 2.10 per million train miles to 1.46.

In a bid to balance capacity utilization with demand, CN parked 140 locomotives in the quarter and reduced intermodal platforms by 20%. While the company formulates its business plans for 2025, Robinson said she expects a lower OR in the fourth quarter with improved margins on “fairly strong pricing” through this year.

“A key challenge is recovering the U.S. mix through Western intermodal gateways; that is a focus,” said Robinson. “There should be a 60/40 Canada/U.S. mix. It’s closer to 80/20 as we recover.”

The company’s shares closed Tuesday at $112.24 unchanged.

This story was updated to add details on carload freight.

Find more articles by Stuart Chirls here.

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