(File photo by Dave Bedard)

Railways push back on feds’ proposed interswitching revival

Railways also oppose ban on replacement workers

With Easter less than two weeks away, an Easter egg in the federal government’s 2023 budget calls for a new pilot program to again provide Prairie grain shippers with extended interswitching. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s budget, released Tuesday, laid out a list of investments to “further strengthen Canada’s transportation systems and supply chain infrastructure.” A […] Read more

(File photo by Dave Bedard)

U.S. regulator approves CP’s purchase of Kansas City Southern

Two U.S. grain grower groups warn of reduced rail competition

Washington | Reuters — The Surface Transportation Board of the United States said on Wednesday it had approved Canadian Pacific Railway’s US$31 billion acquisition of railroad company Kansas City Southern, with a series of environmental and competition conditions. The board, which oversees U.S. freight railroads, is imposing some requirements on the deal, which was agreed […] Read more


(CPR.ca)

Absence of issues leads to January record for grain movement

CN, CP so far see 'calamity-free' 2022-23

MarketsFarm — So far this winter grain movement in Canada has yet to incur few — if any — major problems that have stymied rail shipments, according to Mark Hemmes, president of Quorum Corp., which tracks rail movement in Canada. Canadian Pacific Railway and Canadian National Railway (CP, CN) have been doing good jobs during […] Read more

(File photo by Dave Bedard)

Railways over revenue cap in drought year, CTA finds

CN, CP now owe $5.7 million in overages, penalties

Despite a dramatically lower Prairie grain handle in the last crop year, the Western Grains Research Foundation can expect a $5.7 million gift card from Canada’s big two railways by the end of next month. The Canadian Transportation Agency, which sets the maximum revenue entitlements (MREs) each crop year for Prairie grain handled by Canadian […] Read more


A freight train at Manchac, La., about 75 km east of Baton Rouge. (CN.ca)

U.S. railroads, union extend strike deadline until at least Dec. 4

Teamsters warn against 'blatant attempt to cause panic'

Washington | Reuters — A group representing major railroads and a union that voted to reject a new contract said Wednesday they had agreed to extend a potential strike deadline until at least Dec. 4. The National Carriers’ Conference Committee (NCCC) and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (BMWED) that represents 11,000 workers extended the current […] Read more

File photo from a Teamster-represented engineers’ picket at CN in Winnipeg in 2009. (Dave Bedard photo)

Unions rip supply chain report’s language on strikes

Task force calls for 'new labour relations paradigm'

Recommendations from the federal government’s National Supply Chain Task Force to strengthen the country’s supply chains have drawn a cheer but also one significant jeer from unions in the transport sector. The task force’s final report, released Oct. 6, offered up 21 recommendations aimed at easing congestion in Canada’s ports, filling labour shortages and improving […] Read more


File photo of a BNSF grain train crossing the Gassman Coulee trestle near Minot, North Dakota. (Photo courtesy BNSF Railway)

U.S. railroad strike averted

Biden calls deal a 'win for America;' strike's impact would have reached up into Canada

Updated | Washington | Reuters — Major U.S. railroads and unions secured a tentative deal on Thursday after 20 hours of intense talks brokered by President Joe Biden’s administration to avert a rail shutdown that could have hit food and fuel supplies across the country and beyond. Biden called the deal a “big win for […] Read more

A freight train at Manchac, La., about 75 km east of Baton Rouge. (CN.ca)

U.S. rail embargoes may stymie some Canadian rail traffic

CN halts most cross-border traffic; CP also monitoring situation

Mindful of the potential for snarls on their own tracks, Canada’s big two railways are monitoring talks between a clutch of major U.S. railways and several of their labour unions to avert strikes and/or lockouts that may begin as early as Friday. As of Wednesday, three unions out of the 12 representing unionized rail workers […] Read more


(File photo by Dave Bedard)

CP arbitration ends in two-year deal for engineers, conductors

Dispute led to rail service outage in March

Mediation and arbitration hearings over the weekend have ended in a two-year labour deal for engineers, conductors and train and yard service staff at Canadian Pacific Railway. The agreement puts a formal lid on the latest round of contract disputes between Calgary-based CP and its 3,000-odd unionized employees represented by the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference […] Read more

Most of the car wheelsets from the 2019 derailment were recovered for “further examination and testing,” the Transportation Safety Board said. (TSB photo)

CP disputes TSB’s conclusions on fatal grain train crash

Safety board urges automatic parking brakes, 'enhanced' brake testing for conditions

The federal Transportation Safety Board’s report into the fatal derailment of a Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) grain train in the Rocky Mountains in 2019 calls for changes to train braking systems and maintenance. CP, however, is questioning the TSB’s conclusions about the braking performance of the train involved, saying those conclusions are “based on inappropriate […] Read more