CN has published its 2022-2023 Winter Plan, which the company says sets out a wide range of initiatives to ensure the railroad has the capacity and resources to respond safely and efficiently to the needs of customers in the coming winter months.
“Since joining CN in March, I have focused our team on servicing our customers’ needs by getting back to basics,” Tracy Robinson, chief executive officer of CN, said in a news release. “This means running a scheduled operation, aligning capacity with demand and working closely with our customers and stakeholders to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of the full supply chain. This Plan reflects that focus.
“It reviews core aspects of CN’s operations: how safety and greater efficiency work together; how we plan with customers to deliver service during winter on a sector-by-sector basis; how we invest to improve productivity; and, how we mobilize people and resources to enhance the resilience of our network,” Robinson added. “The steps outlined in this plan will help ensure a more efficient and resilient CN network and an increasingly reliable and resilient supply chain.”
CN: Highlights of New Initiatives
- People: CN’s overall employee count increased by 850 people as of the end of June, compared to the beginning of the year, primarily in the Company’s operating crew ranks. 500 additional new conductors will graduate through the end of 2022. Rail operating managers who are rules-qualified will be available to protect rail traffic movement and support operations during challenging winter operating conditions.
- Locomotives: CN has acquired an incremental 57 high-horsepower locomotives. This brings CN’s inventory of high- and mid-horsepower locomotives to approximately 1,950 locomotives.
- Rolling Stock: 800 new boxcars will be delivered in early 2023, and 500 high-efficiency hopper cars will be delivered during the 2022–23 crop year.
- Planning: CN has implemented scheduled slots for bulk unit trains in key corridors to increase rail capacity and velocity.
- Technology: Acoustic bearing detectors deployed at five locations across the network will reduce failures online. CN’s third-generation automated track inspection program fleet cars were launched in advance of this winter, reducing the risks of rail-related incidents.
