Canadian National and Norfolk Southern have teamed up for new cross-border domestic interline intermodal service that will link Atlanta with six Canadian locations and Kansas City, Mo., with Toronto and Montreal.
The service, announced today, will launch on Oct. 2 with new steel-wheel interchanges in Detroit and Chicago, the railroads said. The service will connect Atlanta with Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta; Vancouver, British Columbia; Winnipeg, Manitoba; and Toronto and Montreal.
“This new CN-Norfolk Southern domestic intermodal service combines premier intermodal choices for our shared customers,” Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw said in a statement. “Designed with customer-centricity top of mind, it simplifies their processes, enabling smoother rail shipments between Canada, Kansas City, and Atlanta.”
The new service will give CN its first access to Kansas City, something it had sought through its failed acquisition of Kansas City Southern and later as part of regulatory review of the Canadian Pacific-KCS merger.
“CN is pleased to provide customers enhanced market access with the launch of another new intermodal product,” CN CEO Tracy Robinson said in a statement. “The reliable, cost-effective, and truck-competitive service will help our customers shift more business onto rail.”
In May CN tied its intermodal network in Detroit and Canada to Mexico via new Falcon Premium service offered in conjunction with Union Pacific and Ferromex via Chicago.
The daily service with NS will connect Toronto and Atlanta in 3.7 days northbound and 3.3 days southbound, while Toronto-Kansas City transit times will be 3.8 days eastbound and 3.6 days westbound. Full schedules are available here.
Share this article
