17 November 2004

More cooperation for Canadian railroads

The following article is excerpted from the 16 November 2004 edition of “The Journal of Commerce”.

Canadian Pacific and Canadian National announced new initiatives to improve service in Western Canada.

A slot-sharing arrangement fitting in with a previous CP-CN track-sharing arrangement through the Fraser Valley in British Columbia calls for Canadian Pacific to move eight bulk trains a week over CN's line between Edmonton, Alberta connecting to CP Rail tracks at Coho near Kamloops, B.C. The trains are powered by CPR locomotives and operated by CN crews.

At Coho, CP Rail trains enter an established sharing network where all westbound trains of both railways move through the Fraser Valley on CN's line and all eastbound trains move on CPR's line.

The railroads will operate eastbound trains over CN and westbound trains over CPR on about 100 miles of parallel tracks in Ontario, near the northern city of Sudbury, "improving network fluidity in this corridor.

The carriers also set a haulage arrangement to move CN freight over 300 miles of CP's route north of Lake Superior in Ontario, between Thunder Bay and a CN junction at Franz, Ont. Canadian National would then abandon 200 miles of secondary track….

In October the railroads agreed to share track to ease congestion around the Port of Vancouver ….