CP, potash firm Canpotex sign new seven-year deal

Canadian Pacific Railway beaver logo

CALGARY — Canadian Pacific and potash export firm Canpotex have announced a new seven-year contract between the two firms, a successor to a current 10-year agreement that expires in 2022. The new agreement runs through 2028. “We are pleased to have entered into this agreement and incredibly proud to continue our successful relationship with Canpotex,” […]

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News Wire Top 10, No. 8: Climate challenges

Bridge and cranes at sunset

Few years pass without railroads facing disruptions from natural disasters. This year was no different, with events including flooding that caused a Union Pacific derailment in Utah in July, Hurricane Ida hitting rail operations from New Orleans to New England in August; and devastating tornadoes in December, including one that derailed a CSX train. But […]

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CN operations in British Columbia near normal after flood disruptions

Canadian National logo

MONTREAL — Canadian National rail operations in British Columbia have nearly returned to normal after disruptions from Nov. 14 to Dec. 3 caused by flooding and washouts, the railroad reported on Tuesday, even as repairs continue around the clock. A 150-mile stretch on the railroad’s line between Vancouver and Kamloops, B.C., experienced 58 outages from […]

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News photos: New QNS&L power on the move

Orange, gray, and yellow locomotive

ALDERSHOT, Ontario — So spotless you can imagine the smell of fresh paint, a half-dozen freshly rebuilt Wabtec AC44C6M locomotives bound for the Quebec North Shore & Labrador pass through Aldershot, Ont., today (Dec. 21, 2021) on Canadian National train No. 422 today. The units, rebuilt from BNSF C44-9s, will operate on the remote 257-mile […]

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CP fundraising generates more than $3.3 million for two hospitals

Canadian Pacific Railway beaver logo

CALGARY — Fundraising efforts for the CP Women’s Open golf tournament have raised more than C$3.3 million for two hospitals in British Columbia over the last two years, Canadian Pacific has announced. More than $2.8 million has supported equipment purchases and research at BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, while another $557,000 has gone to Kamloops […]

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Last train marks closure of Orangeville-Brampton Railway

Blue and black locomotive leads freight cars along line surrounded by trees

ORANGEVILLE, Ontario — GIO Rail operated the final train on the 34-mile Orangeville-Brampton Railway on Dec. 17, 2021, ending service on a line dating to 1879. The final train departed Orangeville for Streetsville, Ont., at about 9:15 a.m., with about 100 people on hand, following a brief ceremony and photo opportunity including GIO President Gerry […]

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Transport Canada makes changes to track inspection rules

Transport Canada logo

OTTAWA — Transport Canada has announced changes to track inspection rules increasing the frequency of inspections in some areas, as well as rules governing use of automated track-inspection technology. The rules announced by Transport Minister Omar Alghabra will increase the frequency of track inspections in higher-risk areas where trains travel at greater speeds while carrying […]

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Historic Canadian Pacific headquarters could become residential units

Black and white photo of ornate 15-story building

TORONTO — The landmark Canadian Pacific Building, once the headquarters of what was billed as “The World’s Greatest Transportation System” and the tallest building in Canada upon its completion in 1913, could be converted to residences under a plan filed with the City of Toronto by the current owners. The website Daily Hive reports that […]

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Transportation Safety Board releases report on fatal Montreal yard accident

Diagram showing site of fatal switching accident

MONTREAL — A jerk caused by slack action, following a sudden brake application, resulted in a railroad crewman falling from a car he was riding in a fatal January accident at Canadian National’s Pointe-Saint-Charles Yard in Montreal, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada determined in a report released Monday. The Jan. 6, 2021, accident killed […]

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Canadian government to fund Port of Vancouver improvements

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The Canadian government will help fund an engineering study of capacity improvements for a Canadian Pacific rail line in Vancouver as part of a series of projects to improve container traffic in and around the Port of Vancouver. The study will look at improvements on the CP line connecting intermodal and […]

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Events in Manitoba, Alberta to mark 125th anniversary of Canadian Northern predecessor

Logo of Canadian Northern Railway

BIG VALLEY, Alberta — The Dauphin Rail Museum and Canadian Northern Society will hold events Dec. 14-15 to commemorate the opening of a railroad that became the Canadian Northern Railway, Canada’s second transcontinental railroad. Dec. 15 will mark the 125th anniversary of the opening of the Lake Manitoba Railway & Canal Co.; the company’s first […]

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