Canadian National Railway

Another strike at the Port of Montreal increasingly likely after longshoremen reject contract as seven-month truce expires. Railroads and trucking companies, meanwhile, brace for scramble to Halifax.

For the 12th consecutive month, CN hauled a record amount of Canadian grain.

Plans to halt construction of the Keystone XL pipeline will likely mean more crude oil volumes being shipped by rail. But how much more will depend on a variety of factors, including oil price spreads, other pipelines, oil storage options and the railroads’ ability to juggle volumes.

U.S. rail volumes rose 5.3% in January as gains for intermodal, chemicals and grain were enough to offset losses for coal and petroleum products, according to AAR data.

CN expressed confidence that it has the network capacity available to handle more volumes in the second half of 2021. But pandemic uncertainties loom in the first quarter.

CN’s fourth-quarter net income was C$1.02 billion amid a 2% increase in revenue and a 5% decrease in operating expenses.

Acquisitions and record Canadian grain loadings round out rail news

CN has partnered with other organizations to develop a plastics resins export facility in Alabama near the Port of Mobile. The facility will open in late 2021.

CN joins other Class I railroads in courting automotive and container shippers in the Upper Midwest through this latest offering.

November was a bright spot for U.S. and Canadian grain carloads.

U.S. carload traffic on a weekly basis was 3.1% lower last week on a year-over-year basis and 1.7% higher sequentially.

Exports drive Canada grain volumes higher.

Higher rail volumes continue to be a trend in the fourth quarter, but the pace of volume growth could depend on how the COVID-19 pandemic plays out this winter.

The COVID-19 pandemic continued to put pressure on CN’s volumes in the third quarter.

Two Class I railroads select members for their respective boards of directors.

CN and Canadian Pacific say they’ll use communication and technology to grapple with winter’s operational challenges.

Hurricane Teddy moves toward Canada’s Maritimes as the Port of Halifax and trucking companies prepare for the arrival of the second powerful tropical storm to hit the region in nearly a year.

Iowa transportation company Travero plans to open a multimodal cross-dock operation by next September.

Canadian Pacific and CN say the deepwater ports are key to gaining market share.

Wabtec’s former chief technology officer departs for CN; Wabtec appoints a new leader to the role.