MONTREAL,
Feb. 26, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - CN (TSX:
CNR) (NYSE: CNI) is reaching out to municipalities along its North
American rail network to review its safety practices, share
relevant information on dangerous goods traffic and discuss
emergency response planning.
Claude Mongeau,
president and chief executive, said: "A full 99.998 per cent of CN
and rail industry movements of dangerous goods - many of which are
essential to the North American economy and communities across the
continent -- arrive at their destination without a release caused
by an accident.
"That being said, CN understands that
municipalities feel they need more transparency and information
sharing from railways about the dangerous commodities moving
through their communities. And that's why we launched a
comprehensive outreach program last fall with communities along our
network in Canada, and are now
launching a similar program this year in the United States.
"Under our engagement program, CN is approaching
municipal officials and their emergency responders to ensure that
they have contact information for appropriate CN officials as well
as targeted information that will assist them in their emergency
response planning. In many cases, this outreach includes
face-to-face meetings, during which we discuss CN's comprehensive
safety programs and solid safety performance, the nature, volume
and economic importance of dangerous commodities we transport
through their communities, and review emergency response planning.
We also arrange to conduct training sessions for emergency
responders when requested.
"To date, we have reached out to the vast
majority of communities on our network in Canada. In addition, we've held close to 100
meetings with communities in Canada, predominantly the larger ones, and
will be reaching out to many more municipalities this year in both
Canada and the U.S."
CN's outreach program will involve almost 1,100
communities in Canada and
approximately 870 communities in the U.S.
The CN engagement program supplements the
Canadian government's November 2013
protective direction, which requires major railways to provide
municipalities with yearly aggregate information, presented by
quarter, on the nature and volume of dangerous goods the company
transports through the communities.
The outreach builds on CN's involvement in the
Transportation Community Awareness and Emergency Response
(TRANSCAER®), through which the company has been working for many
years to help communities in Canada and the
United States understand the movement of hazardous materials
and what is required in the event of transportation incidents.
TRANSCAER members consist of volunteer representatives from the
chemical manufacturing, transportation, distributor, and emergency
response industries, as well as government.
Mongeau added: "CN has an unwavering commitment
to safety and always strives to deliver responsibly. In 2013, CN
reduced its accident rate per million train miles by nine per cent,
the latest sign of long-term gains in safety. In the past 10 years,
CN's main-track accidents have declined by approximately 50 per
cent despite increased freight volumes."
CN is a true backbone of the economy,
transporting approximately C$250
billion worth of goods annually for a wide range of business
sectors, ranging from resource products to manufactured products to
consumer goods, across a rail network spanning Canada and mid-America. CN - Canadian National
Railway Company, along with its operating railway subsidiaries --
serves the cities and ports of Vancouver, Prince
Rupert, B.C., Montreal,
Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile, Ala., and the metropolitan areas of
Toronto, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Calgary, Chicago, Memphis, Detroit, Duluth,
Minn./Superior, Wis., and
Jackson, Miss., with connections
to all points in North America.
For more information on CN, visit the company's website at
www.cn.ca.
SOURCE CN