CN increases fleet and crew ahead of winter to prepare for extreme cold

CN says it is fundamentally changing its approach for the winter to deliver consistent service even during extreme weather after a year of unpredictable events including flooding in British Columbia caused significant delays across the country.

The company released its 2022-2023 Winter Plan Monday, laying out an increase in its locomotive fleet and the acquisition of hundreds of new cars as well as additional crew members and conductors.

CN says its winter plans focus on precision and planning, including for extreme cold periods which force the company to shorten and slow its trains in order to operate safely.

The company says it anticipates an increase in rail traffic volumes this fall and winter and has been making changes throughout the past two quarters in preparation.

CN says it dealt with long periods of extreme cold last winter in multiple provinces as well as outages and damage from the B.C. flooding.

CEO Tracy Robinson, who joined CN in March, says the Winter Plan reflects a focus on getting back to basics.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 3, 2022.

Companies in this story: (TSX:CNR)