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| Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada | |
 | |
 System map | |
 A CN freight train inAlberta, Canada, pulled by three diesel-electric locomotives (typesEMD SD70M-2,SD75I, andSD60F). | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Reporting mark | CN |
| Locale | Canada,United States |
| Dates of operation | 1919–present |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)standard gauge |
| Previous gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) |
| Length | 20,000 mi (32,000 km) |
| Other | |
| Website | www |
| |
.jpg) The headquarters of CN inDowntown Montreal | |
Native name |
|
|---|---|
| Formerly | Canadian National Railways (1919–1978) |
| Company type | Public |
| |
| Industry | Transport |
| Predecessor | Canadian Northern Railway |
| Founded | June 6, 1919; 105 years ago (1919-06-06) |
| Headquarters | Montreal, Quebec ,Canada |
Key people |
|
| Revenue |  CA$17.05 billion[3] (2024) |
 CA$6.247 billion[3] (2024) | |
| CA$4.448 billion[3] (2024) | |
| Total assets | CA$57.07 billion[3] (2024) |
| Total equity | CA$21.05 billion[3] (2024) |
Number of employees | 24,671 (2024)[2] |
| Website | cn |
TheCanadian National Railway Company[a] (French:Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) (reporting markCN) is a CanadianClass I freight railway headquartered inMontreal, Quebec, which servesCanada and theMidwestern andSouthern United States.[4][5]
CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue and the physical size of its rail network,[6] spanning Canada from the Atlantic coast inNova Scotia to the Pacific coast inBritish Columbia across approximately 20,000 route miles (32,000 km) of track.[7] In the late 20th century, CN gained extensive capacity in the United States by taking over such railroads as theIllinois Central.[6]
CN is a public company with 24,671 employees[2] and, as of July 2024[update], amarket cap of approximately US$75 billion.[8] CN was government-owned, as aCanadian Crown corporation, from its founding in 1919 until beingprivatized in 1995. As of 2019[update],Bill Gates was the largest single shareholder of CN stock, owning a 14.2% interest throughCascade Investment and his ownBill and Melinda Gates Foundation.[9]
From 1919 to 1978, the railway was known as "Canadian National Railways" (CNR).
The Canadian National Railways (CNR) was incorporated on June 6, 1919, comprising several railways that had become bankrupt and fallen intoGovernment of Canada hands, along with some railways already owned by the government. Primarily afreight railway, CN also operatedpassenger services until 1978, when they were assumed byVia Rail. The only passenger services run by CN after 1978 were severalmixed trains (freight and passenger) inNewfoundland, and several commuter trains both on CN's electrified routes and towards theSouth Shore in the Montreal area (the latter lasted without any public subsidy until 1986). The Newfoundland mixed trains lasted until 1988, while the Montreal commuter trains are now operated by Montreal'sEXO.
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On November 17, 1995, the Government of Canada privatized CN. Over the next decade, the company expanded significantly into the United States, purchasingIllinois Central Railroad andWisconsin Central Transportation, among others.
The excessive construction of railway lines in Canada led to significant financial difficulties striking many of them, in the years leading up to 1920:
The Canadian National Railway Company then evolved through the following steps:
GTR management and shareholders opposed tonationalization took legal action, but after several years of arbitration,[14] the GTR was finally absorbed into the CNR on January 30, 1923.[15] Although several smaller independent railways would be added to the CNR in subsequent years as they went bankrupt or it became politically expedient to do so, the system was more or less finalized at that point. However, certain related lawsuits were not resolved until as late as 1936.[16]
Canadian National Railways was born out of both wartime and domestic urgency. Until the rise of the personal automobile and creation of taxpayer-funded all-weather highways, railways were the only viable long-distance land transportation available in Canada. As such, their operation consumed a great deal of public and political attention. Canada was one of many nations to engage inrailway nationalization in order to safeguard critical transportation infrastructure during theFirst World War.
In the early 20th century, many governments were taking a more interventionist role in the economy, foreshadowing the influence of economists likeJohn Maynard Keynes. This political trend, combined with broader geo-political events, made nationalization an appealing choice for Canada.The Winnipeg General Strike of 1919 and allied involvement in theRussian Revolution seemed to validate the continuing process. The need for a viable rail system was paramount in a time of civil unrest and foreign military action.
Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad
The B&LE was acquired with the purchase of Great Lakes Transportation and the DM&IR.
British Columbia Railway
In 2003, BCOL sold to Canadian National and leased the railroad to CN for 60 years.
Central Vermont Railway
Central Vermont was nationalized in 1918 and consolidated into the Grand Trunk Western in 1971 with the creation of the Grand Trunk Corporation.
Duluth Missabe & Iron Range Railroad
The DM&IR was purchased by Great Lakes Transportation and in 2011 the DM&IR was merged into CN's Wisconsin Central Subsidiary. The DM&IR was acquired at the same time as the Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad.
Duluth Winnipeg & Pacific Railroad
The DWP was nationalized with CN in 1918 and became a part of CN's Grand Trunk Corporation in 1971. In 2011 the DWP was merged into the larger Wisconsin Central Subsidiary of CN.
Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway
In 2009, CN acquired theElgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway to assist with traffic congestion in Chicago and the surrounding area. In 2013 EJ&E was merged into the greater Wisconsin Central Subsidiary of CN.
Grand Trunk Western Railroad
The GTW was merged with Central Vermont in 1971 with the creation of the Grand Trunk Corporation. In 1991 the GTW was merged with CN under the "North America" consolidation program. Many of GTWs locomotives and rolling stock would be repainted and the motive power would get the new CN scheme.
Illinois Central Railroad
In 1998, IC was purchased by CN, which also acquired the Chicago Central in the deal. A year later, the two railroads were formally amalgamated into the CN system.
Iowa Northern Railway
In 2023, CN acquired theIowa Northern Railway, but the transaction is awaiting approval by the Surface Transportation Board (STB).[17][18] On January 14, 2025, the STB approved the CN acquisition of the Iowa Northern Railway, a Class III shortline that specializes in the transport of grain, ethanol, and other bio-fuels commodities in the state of Iowa.[19]
Mackenzie Northern Railway
In 2006, CN acquiredMackenzie Northern Railway, previously purchased byRailAmerica. This purchase allowed CN to increase their network footprint and hold the northernmost trackage of the contiguousNorth American railway network. Since being purchased by CN in 2006, it has been officially known as the Meander River Subdivision.[20][21]
Newfoundland RailwayOn 31 March 1949, CNR acquired the assets of theNewfoundland Railway, which in 1979 were reorganized intoTerra Transport. CN officially abandoned its rail network in Newfoundland on 1 October 1988.
Savage Alberta Railway
On December 1, 2006, CN announced that it had purchasedSavage Alberta Railway for $25 million and that it had begun operating the railway the same day.[22]
TransX Group of Companies
In 2018, CN acquired the Winnipeg-based TransX Group of Companies. Transx continues to operate independently.[23]
Wisconsin Central Railroad
In January 2001, CN acquired the WC for $800 million.
CN's railway network in the late 1980s consisted of the company's Canadian trackage, along with the following U.S. subsidiary lines:Grand Trunk Western Railroad (GTW) operating inMichigan,Indiana, andIllinois;Duluth, Winnipeg and Pacific Railway (DWP) operating inMinnesota;Central Vermont Railway (CV) operating down theConnecticut River valley fromQuebec toLong Island Sound; and theBerlin subdivision toPortland, Maine, known informally as theGrand Trunk Eastern, sold to a short-line operator in 1989.[24]
In 1992, a new management team led by ex-federal government bureaucrats,Paul Tellier andMichael Sabia, started preparing CN forprivatization by emphasizing increased productivity. This was achieved largely through aggressive cuts to the company's management structure, widescale layoffs in its workforce and continued abandonment or sale of its branch lines. In 1993 and 1994, the company experimented with a rebranding that saw the namesCN,Grand Trunk Western, andDuluth, Winnipeg, and Pacific replaced under a collectiveCN North America moniker. In this time, CPR and CN entered into negotiations regarding a possible merger of the two companies. This was later rejected by the Government of Canada, whereupon CPR offered to purchase outright all of CN's lines from Ontario to Nova Scotia, while an unidentified U.S. railroad (rumoured to have beenBurlington Northern Railroad) would purchase CN's lines in western Canada. This too was rejected. In 1995, the entire company including its U.S. subsidiaries reverted to usingCN exclusively.
TheCN Commercialization Act[25] was enacted into law on July 13, 1995, and by November 28, 1995, the Government of Canada had completed aninitial public offering (IPO) and transferred all of its shares to private investors. Two key prohibitions in this legislation include, 1) that no individual or corporate shareholder may own more than 15% of CN, and 2) that the company's headquarters must remain inMontreal, thus maintaining CN as a Canadian corporation.
Following the successful IPO, CN has recorded impressive gains in its stock price, largely through an aggressive network rationalization and purchase of newer more fuel-efficient locomotives. Numerous branch lines were shed in the late 1990s across Canada, resulting in dozens of independentshort line railway companies being established to operate former CN track that had been considered marginal. This network rationalization resulted in a core east–west freight railway stretching fromHalifax toChicago and Toronto to Vancouver andPrince Rupert. The railway also operated trains fromWinnipeg to Chicago using trackage rights for part of the route south of Duluth.
In addition to the rationalization in Canada, the company also expanded in a strategic north–south direction in thecentral United States. In 1998, in an era of mergers in the U.S. rail industry, CN bought theIllinois Central Railroad (IC), which connected the already existing lines fromVancouver, British Columbia, toHalifax, Nova Scotia, with a line running from Chicago, Illinois, toNew Orleans, Louisiana. This single purchase of IC transformed CN's entire corporate focus from being an east–west uniting presence within Canada (sometimes to the detriment of logical business models) into a north–southNAFTA railway (in reference to theNorth American Free Trade Agreement). CN was then feeding Canadian raw material exports into the U.S. heartland and beyond to Mexico through a strategic alliance withKansas City Southern Railway (KCS).
In 1999, CN andBNSF Railway, the second largest rail system in the U.S., announced their intent to merge, forming a new corporate entityNorth American Railways, headquartered in Montreal to conform to theCN Commercialization Act of 1995. The merger announcement by CN's Paul Tellier and BNSF'sRobert Krebs was greeted with skepticism by the U.S. government'sSurface Transportation Board (STB), and protested by other major North American rail companies, namely CPR andUnion Pacific Railroad (UP). Rail customers[who?] also denounced the proposed merger, following the confusion and poor service sustained in southeastern Texas in 1998 following UP's purchase ofSouthern Pacific Railroad two years earlier. In response to the rail industry, shippers, and political pressure, the STB placed a 15-month moratorium on all rail-industry mergers, effectively scuttling CN-BNSF plans. Both companies dropped their merger applications and have never refiled.
After the STB moratorium expired, CN purchasedWisconsin Central (WC) in 2001, which allowed the company's rail network to encircleLake Michigan andLake Superior, permitting more efficient connections from Chicago to western Canada. The deal also included Canadian WC subsidiaryAlgoma Central Railway (ACR), giving access toSault Ste. Marie andMichigan's Upper Peninsula. The purchase of Wisconsin Central also made CN the owner ofEWS, the principal freight train operator in the United Kingdom.
On May 13, 2003, the provincial government of British Columbia announced the provincialCrown corporation,BC Rail (BCR), would be sold with the winning bidder receiving BCR's surface operating assets (locomotives, cars, and service facilities). The provincial government is retaining ownership of the tracks and right-of-way. On November 25, 2003, it was announced CN's bid ofCA$1 billion would be accepted over those of CPR and several U.S. companies. The transaction was closed effective July 15, 2004. Many opponents – including CPR – accused the government and CN of rigging the bidding process, though this has been denied by the government. Documents relating to the case are under court seal, as they are connected to a parallelmarijuana grow-op investigation connected with two senior government aides also involved in the sale of BC Rail.
Also contested was the economic stimulus package the government gave cities along the BC Rail route. Some saw it as a buy-off to get the municipalities to cooperate with the lease, though the government asserted the package was intended to promote economic development along the corridor. Passenger service along the route had been ended by BC Rail a few years earlier due to ongoing losses resulting from deteriorating service. The cancelled passenger service has subsequently been replaced by a blue-plate tourist service, theRocky Mountaineer, with fares well over double what the BCR coach fares had been.
CN also announced in October 2003 an agreement to purchaseGreat Lakes Transportation (GLT), a holding company owned by Blackstone Group for US$380 million. GLT was the owner ofBessemer & Lake Erie Railroad,Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway (DM&I), and the Pittsburgh & Conneaut Dock Company. The key instigator for the deal was the fact that since the Wisconsin Central purchase, CN was required to use DM&I trackage rights for a short 18 km (11 mi) "gap" nearDuluth, Minnesota, on the route between Chicago and Winnipeg. To purchase this short section, CN was told by GLT it would have to purchase the entire company. Also included in GLT's portfolio were eight Great Lakes vessels for transporting bulk commodities such as coal and iron ore as well as various port facilities. Following Surface Transportation Board approval for the transaction, CN completed the purchase of GLT on May 10, 2004.
On December 24, 2008, the STB approved CN's purchase for $300 million of the principal lines of theElgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway Company (EJ&E) (reporting mark EJE) from theU.S. Steel Corporation, originally announced on September 27, 2007. The STB's decision was to become effective on January 23, 2009, with a closure of the transaction shortly thereafter. The EJ&E lines create a bypass around the western side of heavily congested Chicago-area rail hub and its conversion to use for mainline freight traffic is expected to alleviate substantial bottlenecks for both regional and intercontinental rail traffic subject to lengthy delays entering and exiting Chicago freight yards. The purchase of the lightly used EJ&E corridor was positioned by CN as a boon not only for its own business but for the efficiency of the entire U.S. rail system.
On December 31, 2011, CN completed the merger of DM&I, DWP, and WC into its Wisconsin Central Ltd. subsidiary.[26]
In March 2021, CN subsidiary WCL reached a deal to sell roughly 1,400 km (900 mi) of non-core rail lines and assets in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ontario to short-line operatorWatco.[27]
In April 2021, CN bid nearly $30 billion forKansas City Southern (KCS), ostensibly creating a bidding war between itself and CPR, who had placed a $25 billion bid for the company in March. CN's offer represented a 21% premium to the one made by Canadian Pacific, offering $325 for each share and including $200 in cash. The move by CN was influenced by the projected economic upturn once the world began to emerge from theCOVID-19 pandemic, with KCS's railroad network reaching from Canada, through the United States, and running along the Panama Canal.[28][29][30][31] On May 21, CN and KCS agreed to merge, but lengthy regulatory approvals are required to put it into effect.[32] However, on August 31, the USSurface Transportation Board (STB) denied a voting trust between CN and KCS.[33] With the decision by the STB, KCS re-engaged with CP on CP's original offer.[34][35] The merger between the Kansas City Southern and Canadian Pacific Railway was ultimately approved on March 15, 2023, and the two railroads merged on April 14, 2023.[36][37]
After losing the battle against CP for the purchase of KCS, in hearings before the STB for the CP-KCS merger, CN filed a plan to acquire the KCS line linking Kansas City withSpringfield, IL,St. Louis, MO andEast St. Louis, IL, the formerGateway Western, tie it to its former IC Gilman Subdivision, and thus create a new corridor between Kansas City and St. Louis withMichigan and Eastern Canada, bypassing Chicago, and which, according to the plan presented by CN, divert 80,000 long haul-truck shipments to rail annually.[38] A few months later, CN resigned its intentions to purchase the Springfield Line in order to try to obtain trackage rights on the line, always with the same intention of creating the corridor proposed in the original plan to purchase the line filed with the STB.[39] Both the initial plan to purchase the line and the subsequent plan to acquire trackage rights included the execution of corridor improvement works, valued at more than US$250 million.[38] The STB would ultimately reject plans submitted by CN to operate on the Springfield Line.[40]
Due to a failure to reach an agreement with theTeamsters Canada Rail Conference Canadian National's Canadian operations, along with those of CPKC,shut down from August 22, 2024 as the companies engaged in alockout.[41]
In December 2023, CN set to acquire theIowa Northern Railway (IANR) with the proposition to be reviewed by theSurface Transportation Board (STB).[42][43] On January 14, 2025, the STB approved the CN acquisition of the Iowa Northern Railway.[44]
Since the company operates in two countries, CN maintains some corporate distinction by having its U.S. lines incorporated under theDelaware-domiciledGrand Trunk Corporation for legal purposes;[45] however, the entire company in both Canada and the U.S. operates underCN, as can be seen in its locomotive and rail car repainting programs.
Since the Illinois Central purchase in 1998, CN has been increasingly focused on running a "scheduled freight railroad/railway". This has resulted in improved shipper relations, as well as reduced the need for maintaining pools of surplus locomotives and freight cars. CN has also undertaken a rationalization of its existing track network by removing double track sections in some areas and extending passing sidings in other areas.
CN is also a rail industry leader in the employment of radio-control (R/C) for switching locomotives in yards, resulting in reductions to the number of yard workers required. CN has frequently been touted in recent years within North American rail industry circles as being themost-improved railroad in terms of productivity and the lowering of itsoperating ratio, acknowledging the fact the company is becoming increasingly profitable. Due to the rising popularity ofethanol,shuttle trains, and mineral commodities, CN Rail Service is increasing in popularity.
In 2011, the company was added to theDow Jones Sustainability World Index.[46]
In April 2012 a plan was announced to build an 800 kilometres (500 mi) railway that would run north fromSept-Îles, Quebec; the railway would support mining and other resource extraction in theLabrador Trough.[47]
In September 2012, CN announced the trial of locomotives fuelled bynatural gas as a potential alternative to conventional diesel fuel. TwoEMD SD40 diesel-electric locomotives fuelled with 90% natural gas and 10% diesel were tested in service betweenEdmonton andFort McMurray, Alberta.[48]
CN Telegraph originated as the Great North West Telegraph Company in 1880 to connectOntario andManitoba and became a subsidiary ofWestern Union in 1881. In 1915, facing bankruptcy, GNWTC was acquired by theCanadian Northern Railway's telegraph company.[64] When Canadian Northern was nationalized in 1918 and amalgamated into Canadian National Railways in 1921, its telegraph arm was renamed the Canadian National Telegraph Company. CN Telegraphs began co-operating with itsCanadian Pacific-owned rivalCPR Telegraphs in the 1930s, sharing telegraph networks and co-founding ateleprinter system in 1957. In 1967 the two services were amalgamated into a joint ventureCNCP Telecommunications which evolved into a telecoms company. CN sold its stake of the company to CP in 1984.
In 1923 CNR's second president,Sir Henry Thornton who succeeded David Blyth Hanna (1919–1922), created the CNR Radio Department to provide passengers with entertainment radio reception and give the railway a competitive advantage over its rival, CP. This led to the creation of a network of CNR radio stations across the country, North America's first radio network. As anyone in the vicinity of a station could hear its broadcasts the network's audience extended far beyond train passengers to the public at large.
Claims of unfair competition from CP as well as pressure on the government to create apublic broadcasting system similar to theBritish Broadcasting Corporation led the government ofR. B. Bennett (who had been a corporate lawyer with Canadian Pacific as a client prior to entering politics) to pressure CNR into ending its on-train radio service in 1931 and then withdrawing from the radio business entirely in 1933. CNR's radio assets were sold for $50,000 to a new public broadcaster, theCanadian Radio Broadcasting Commission, which in turn became theCanadian Broadcasting Corporation in 1936.
Canadian railways built and operatedtheir own resort hotels, ostensibly to provide rail passengers travelling long distances a place to sleep overnight. These hotels became attractions in and of themselves – a place for a rail passenger to go for a holiday. As eachrailway company sought to be more attractive than its competitors, they made their hotels more attractive and luxurious.Canadian National Hotels was the CNRs chain of hotels and was a combination of hotels inherited by the CNR when it acquired various railways and structures built by the CNR itself. The chain's principal rival wasCanadian Pacific Hotels.
Canadian National operated a fleet of passenger and cargo vessels on both theWest Coast and East Coast of Canada which operated under a branch of the company known as Canadian National Steamships, laterCN Marine.
Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson ofWallsend, England, builtPrince George andPrince Rupert for the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway in 1910.[65] In 1930Cammell Laird ofBirkenhead, England, builtPrince David,Prince Henry andPrince Robert.[65]Prince Henry was sold in 1937.[66]Prince George was destroyed by fire in 1945.Prince David andPrince Robert were requisitioned in 1939 asRoyal Canadian Navyarmed merchant cruisers, converted intolanding ships in 1943, and sold in 1948.[66] In 1948 a secondPrince George was built byYarrows Limited, becoming CN's sole remaining Pacific Coast passenger liner. She was switched from scheduled routes to pleasure cruises, and was the last CN ship that served the west coast. After a fire in 1975 she was sold in 1976 (first to British Columbia Steamship Company and finally Wong Brother Enterprises)[66] before finally being sold to Chinese breakers in 1995 (and sank on her way toChina in 1996 inUnimak Pass).[67]
These ships served the Pacific coast withGTP until Canadian National took possession of them in 1925:
Ships specially built for CN for theWest Coast. After theSecond World War steamship service had dropped and by the 1950s the ships were withdrawn.Prince George (II) stayed in service, but to do cruises on the West Coast. By 1975Prince George (II) was retired, ending CN's steamship era on the West Coast.
In 1928–29Cammell Laird built a set of five ships for CN[65] to carry mail, passengers and freight betweeneastern Canada and theCaribbean viaBermuda. Each ship was named after the wife of an English or British admiral who was noted for his actions in the Caribbean,[68] and who had been knighted or ennobled.[69] They were therefore nicknamed theLady-liners[68] orLady-boats.[70]Lady Nelson along withLady Hawkins andLady Drake were designed for service to the eastern islands of theBritish West Indies and had larger passenger capacity but lesser cargo capacity thanLady Rodney andLady Somers who were built for service to western islands.[71] In the Second World WarLady Somers was requisitioned as anocean boarding vessel while her four sister ships continued in CN service. TheItalian submarine Morosini sank Lady Somers in 1941.Lady Hawkins andLady Drake were sunk byGerman U-boats in 1942.Lady Nelson was torpedoed in 1942 but refloated and converted to a hospital ship, whileLady Rodney survived the war unscathed. The two surviving Lady Boats, Nelson and Rodney, were sold in 1952 after declining passenger traffic and rising labour costs made them too expensive to run.[66]
In 1928 CN took over most of the fleet of Canadian Government Merchant Marine Ltd, giving it a fleet of about 45cargo ships. WhenFrance surrendered to Germany in June 1940 the Canadian Government seizedCGT's MVMaurienne and contracted CN to manage her.[66]
CN operated arail barge service betweenPrince Rupert, British Columbia, toWhittier, Alaska, from 1963 to 2021.[72]
Robert Pace is the chair of the CNR board. The other board members areDonald J. Carty,V. Maureen Kempston Darkes,Gordon D. Giffin, Edith E. Holiday, Luc Jobin,Denis Losier,Kevin G. Lynch, James E. O'Connor,Robert L. Phillips, and Laura Stein.[73]
Thornton and Harrison were the only non-Canadians to head CN.[according to whom?]
From 1919 to 1995, CN was also the responsibility of the relevant federal cabinet minister as a Crown Corporation:
Claude Mongeau was president and CEO from 2010 to 2016, previously serving as CFO for almost a decade. His tenure was marked by early praise from leadership for his working on the tracks for several months alongside the company's railroaders.[77] He was also credited with implementingprecision railroading.[78]
However, mainline derailments increased in the middle of his tenure, resulting in his bonus being capped. Operating ratio also declined during his time as CEO.[79] He resigned in 2016 after being diagnosed with throat cancer, and the board appointed Luc Jobin to replace him.[80]
During his tenure, Jobin joined the board ofBritish American Tobacco in 2017.[81] In 2018, Jobin resigned "as the railway struggles through operational and customer service challenges," CBC wrote.[82]
When CNR was first created, it inherited a large number of routes from its constituent railways, but eventually pieced its passenger network into one coherent network. For example, on December 3, 1920, CNR inaugurated theContinental Limited, which operated over four of its predecessors, as well as theTemiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway. The 1920s saw growth in passenger travel, and CNR inaugurated several new routes and introduced new services, such as radio, on its trains. However, the growth in passenger travel ended with theGreat Depression, which lasted between 1929 and 1939, but picked up somewhat inWorld War II. By the end of World War II, many of CNR's passenger cars were old and worn down. Accidents atDugald, Manitoba, in 1947 andCanoe River, British Columbia, in 1950, wherein extra passenger trains composed of older, wooden equipment collided with transcontinental passenger trains composed of newer, all-steel equipment, demonstrated the dangers inherent in the older cars. In 1953, CNR ordered 359 lightweight passenger cars, allowing them to re-equip their major routes.
On April 24, 1955, the same day that the CPR introduced its transcontinental trainThe Canadian, CNR introduced its own new transcontinental passenger train, theSuper Continental, which used new streamlined rolling stock. However, theSuper Continental was never considered as glamorous as theCanadian.[according to whom?] For example, it did not includedome cars. Dome cars would be added in the early 1960s with the purchase of six formerMilwaukee Road "Super Domes". They were used on theSuper Continental in the summer tourist season.
Rail passenger traffic in Canada declined significantly between World War II and 1960 due to automobiles andairplanes. In the 1960s CN's privately owned rival CPR reduced its passenger services significantly. However, the government-owned CN continued much of its passenger services and marketed new schemes. One, introduced on 5 April 1962, was the "Red, White and Blue" fare structure, which offered deep discounts on off-peak days ("red") and were credited with increasing passenger numbers on some routes as much as 600%. Another exercise was the rebranding of the express trains in the Ontario–Quebec corridor with theRapido label.
In 1968, CN introduced a new high-speed train, theUnited AircraftTurbo, which was powered bygas turbines instead ofdiesel engines. It made the trip between Toronto and Montreal in four hours, but was not entirely successful because it was somewhat uneconomical and not always reliable. The trainsets were retired in 1982 and later scrapped at Metrecy, inLaval, Quebec.
On CN'snarrow gauge lines in Newfoundland, CN also operated a main line passenger train that ran fromSt. John's toPort aux Basques called theCaribou. Nicknamed theNewfie Bullett, this train ran until June 1969. It was replaced by the CN Roadcruiser Buses. The CN Roadcruiser service was started in fall 1968 and was run in direct competition with the company's own passenger train. Travellers saw that the buses could travel between St. John's and Port aux Basques in 14 hours versus the train's 22 hours. After the demise of theCaribou, the only passenger train service run by CN on the island were the mixed (freight and passenger) trains that ran on the Bonavista, Carbonear and Argentia branch lines. The only passenger service surviving on the main line was between Bishop's Falls andCorner Brook.
In 1976, CN created an entity calledVia-CN as a separate operating unit for its passenger services. Via evolved into a coordinated marketing effort with CP Rail for rail passenger services, and later into a separateCrown corporation responsible for inter-city passenger services in Canada.Via Rail took over CN's passenger services on April 1, 1978.
CN continued to fund itscommuter rail services in Montreal until 1982, when theMontreal Urban Community Transit Commission (MUCTC) assumed financial responsibility for them; operation was contracted out to CN, which eventually spun off a separate subsidiary,Montrain, for this purpose. When theMontreal–Deux-Montagnes line was completely rebuilt in 1994–1995, the new rolling stock came under the ownership of theMUCTC, until a separate government agency, theAgence métropolitaine de transport (now AMT), was set up to consolidate all suburban transit administration around Montreal. Since then,suburban service has resumed toSaint-Hilaire, and a new line toMascouche opened in December 2014.
In Newfoundland,Terra Transport would continue to operate themixed trains on the branch lines until 1984. The main line run betweenCorner Brook andBishop's Falls made its last run on September 30, 1988. Terra Transport/CN would run the Roadcruiser bus service until March 29, 1996, whereupon the bus service was sold off toDRL Coachlines of Triton, Newfoundland.
From the acquisition of theAlgoma Central Railway in 2001 until service cancellation in July 2015, CN operated passenger service betweenSault Ste. Marie andHearst, Ontario. The passenger service operated three days per week and provided year-round access to remote tourist camps and resorts.
In January 2014, CN announced it was cutting the service, blaming the Government of Canada for cutting a subsidy necessary to keep the service running.[83] It was argued as anessential service; however, the service had always been deemed financially uneconomic, and despite an extension of funding in April 2014, Algoma Central service was suspended as of July 2015.
CN operates theAgawa Canyon Tour excursion, an excursion that runs fromSault Ste. Marie, Ontario, north to theAgawa Canyon. The canyon tour train consists of up to 28passenger cars and 2dining cars, the majority of which were built for CN by Canadian Car and Foundry in 1953–54. These cars were transferred to theD&RGW Ski Train and bought back by CN in 2009.
After CN acquiredBC Rail in 2004, it started operating arailbus service betweenSeton Portage andLillooet, British Columbia called theKaoham Shuttle.
CN crews used to operate commuter trains on behalf ofGO Transit in theToronto and the surrounding vicinity. This changed in 2008 when a deal was reached withBombardier Transportation that switched all CN crews for Bombardier crews.[84]
The CNR acquired its first4-8-4Confederation locomotives in 1927. Over the next 20 years, it ordered over 200 for passenger and heavy freight service. The CNR also used several4-8-2Mountain locomotives, almost exclusively for passenger service. No. 6060, a streamlined 4-8-2, was the last CN steam locomotive, running in excursion service in the 1970s. CNR also used several2-8-2Mikado locomotives.
CN inherited from theCanadian Northern Railway severalboxcab electrics used through theMount Royal Tunnel. Those were built between 1914 and 1918 byGeneral Electric inSchenectady, New York. To operate the new MontrealCentral Station, which opened in 1943 and was to be kept free of locomotive smoke, they were supplemented by nearly identical locomotives from theNational Harbours Board; those engines were built in 1924 byBeyer, Peacock & Company andEnglish Electric. In 1950, threeGeneral Electric centre-cab electric locomotives were added to the fleet. In 1952 CN addedelectric multiple units built byCanadian Car and Foundry.
Electrification was restricted to Montreal, and went fromCentral Station toSaint-Lambert (south),Turcot (west),Montréal-Nord (east) and Saint-Eustache-sur-le-lac, later renamedDeux-Montagnes, (north). But as steam locomotives gave way to diesels, engine changeovers were no longer necessary, and catenary was eventually pulled from the west, east and from the south. However, until the end of the original electrification, CN's electric locomotives pulledVia Rail's trains, including its diesel electric locomotives, to and from Central Station.
The last 2,400VDC CNelectric locomotive ran on June 6, 1995, the very same locomotive that pulled the inaugural train through theMount Royal Tunnel back in 1918. Later in 1995 theAMT's Electric Multiple Units began operating under25 kV AC 60 Hz electrification, and in 2014,dual-power locomotives entered service on theMascouche line.
In May 1966, CN ordered five seven-carUAC TurboTrain for the Montreal–Toronto service. It planned to operate them in tandem, connecting two trains together into a larger fourteen-car arrangement with a total capacity of 644 passengers. The Canadian trains were built byMontreal Locomotive Works, with their ST6 engines supplied by UAC's Canadian division (nowPratt & Whitney Canada) inLongueuil, Quebec.
CN and their ad agency wanted to promote the new service as an entirely new form of transit, so they dropped the "train" from the name. In CN's marketing literature the train was referred to simply as the "Turbo", although it retained the full TurboTrain name in CN's own documentation and communication with UAC. A goal of CN's marketing campaign was to get the train into service for Expo '67, and the Turbo was rushed through its trials. It was late for Expo, a disappointment to all involved, but the hectic pace did not let up and it was cleared for service after only one year of testing.
The Turbo's first demonstration run in December 1968 with Conductor James Abbey of Toronto in command, included a large press contingent. An hour into its debut run, the Turbo collided with a truck at a highway crossing near Kingston.
The Turbo's final run was on October 31, 1982.
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CNR's first foray into diesel motive power was with self-propelled railcars. In November 1925, Railcar No. 15820 completed a 72-hour journey from Montreal to Vancouver with the 185-horsepower (138 kW) diesel engine in nearly continuous operation for the entire 4,726-kilometre (2,937 mi) trip. Railcars were used on marginal economic routes instead of the more-expensive-to-operate steam locomotives used for busier routes.[85]
In 1929, the CNR made its first experiment with mainlinediesel electric locomotives, acquiring two 1,330-horsepower (990 kW) engines fromWestinghouse, numbered 9000 and 9001.[85] It was the first North American railway to use diesels in mainline service. These early units proved the feasibility of the diesel concept, but were not always reliable. No. 9000 served until 1939, and No. 9001 until 1947. The difficulties of theGreat Depression precluded much further progress towards diesel locomotives. The CNR began its conversion to diesel locomotives after World War II, and had fully dieselized by 1960.[85] Most of the CNR's first-generation diesel locomotives were made byGeneral Motors Diesel (GMD) andMontreal Locomotive Works.
For its narrow-gauge lines in Newfoundland CN acquired from GMD the 900 series, ModelsNF110 (road numbers 900–908) andNF210 (road numbers 909–946). For use on the branch lines, CN purchased theEMD G8 (road numbers 800–805).
For passenger service the CNR acquiredGMD FP9 diesels, as well asCLC CPA16-5,ALCO MLW FPA-2 andFPA-4 diesels. These locomotives made up most of the CNR's passenger fleet, although CN also owned some 60 RailLiners (Budd Rail Diesel Cars), some dual-purpose diesel freight locomotives (freight locomotives equipped with passenger train apparatus, such as steam generators) as well as the locomotives for theTurbo trainsets. Via acquired most of CN's passenger fleet when it took over CN passenger service in 1978.
The CN fleet as of 2007[update] consists of 1,548 locomotives, most of which are products of eitherGeneral Motors' Electro-Motive Division (EMD), or General Electric/GE Transportation Systems. Some locomotives more than 30 years old remain in service.
Much of the current roster is made up ofEMD SD70I andEMD SD75I locomotives andGE C44-9W locomotives. Recently acquired are the newEMD SD70M-2 andGE ES44DC. Since 2015 theGE ES44AC &GE ET44AC are the latest units.
Beginning in the early summer months of 2010, CN purchased a small order ofGE C40-8's andGE C40-8W's fromUnion Pacific andBNSF Railway, respectively. The intent was to use them as a cheaper power alternative. CN currently has 65GE ES44ACs on its roster and all 65 were ordered and delivered from December 2012 to December 2013. They are CN's first AC-powered locomotives. In 2015, CN started ordering more GE units, the ET44AC.[86]
On November 17, 2020, CN revealed fiveheritage units to mark the 25th anniversary of becoming a publicly traded company. They had originally been spotted a month earlier, but were not yet formally announced by the company. The locomotives were repainted into various schemes of railroads CN had previously acquired, and included fourGE ET44ACs painted in IC, EJ&E, WC, and BC Rail paint, and anEMD SD70M-2 painted in GTW paint.[87][88]
CN owns a large number of large yards and repair shops across their system. They are used for many operations, ranging fromintermodal terminals toclassification yards. Examples include:
Hump yards work by using a small hill over which cars are pushed before being released down a slope and switched automatically into cuts of cars, ready to join into outbound trains. CN's active humps include:[89]
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