CHICAGO,
Jan. 14, 2015 /CNW/ - Claude Mongeau, president and chief executive
officer of CN (TSX: CNR) (NYSE: CNI), said today CN's substantial
investments in its U.S. Midwest operations, particularly the former
Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway (EJ&E), are
keeping its network fluid, helping the railroad accommodate
increased demand for its freight services, and freeing up rail
capacity inside Chicago for other
railroads.
Mongeau, speaking to the Midwest Association of
Rail Shippers, said CN's substantial presence in the U.S. Midwest
is the product of a series of rail acquisitions and investments
that have extended its network reach south, north and west of
Chicago, as well as around the
city. In the past five years, CN has invested well over
one billion dollars in its Midwest
operations.
CN today has 5,400 employees in the Midwest,
roughly 1,400 of whom live and work in the Chicago region. With roughly 25 per cent of
its freight traffic touching the city, CN's Chicago focus is on network efficiencies,
close collaboration with other freight and passenger carriers, and
delivering solid customer service.
Mongeau said the acquisition of the EJ&E in
2009 "has transformed our operations in North America's business rail hub. The
EJ&E solution allows us to seamlessly connect our five rail
lines entering Chicago and to
avoid congested inner city rail corridors. This is a clear gain for
CN, but it also frees up capacity for other carriers on the Belt
Railway of Chicago and Indiana
Harbor Belt - a benefit for the entire greater Chicago rail network."
Mongeau said the "J" is helping CN accommodate
rising traffic, which has been growing strongly across all business
units for the past five years in both Canada and the
United States.
"Almost 30 per cent of CN's revenue ton-miles
are in the United States, so the
U.S. is clearly an important market for CN," said Mongeau.
"Transborder U.S.-Canada traffic
is also a major market for CN - our northbound traffic has grown
faster than southbound freight over the past five years. As such,
we play an important role in moving U.S. exports to both
Canada and offshore
destinations."
Mongeau concluded: "Our business agenda is
shaped by what CN stands for, by what we do best, and by the way we
see our role as a true backbone of the economy. At the core of our
agenda is CN's commitment to Operational and Service Excellence
whose purpose is to help our customers compete better in their end
markets."
CN transports goods and commodities 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