MONTREAL, March 22, 2016 /CNW/ - CN (TSX: CNR) (NYSE:
CNI) announced today the launch of the third year of its Safety
Innovation Program. The Program is part of CN's broader safety
agenda that is focused on enhancing the safety of operations and
making the company the safest railway in North America.
Jim Vena, CN executive vice-president and chief operating
officer, said: "For the third year in a row, we're stepping up our
efforts to leverage new technology to bolster our Safety Management
System that is designed to minimize risk and continually reduce
accidents and injuries. Our general approach is to develop more
lines of defence against accidents. Our 2016 Program, which
supplements our on-going investments in track infrastructure
maintenance and safety culture, brings the total applied to the
Safety Innovation Program to C$67
million since 2014."
The 2016 portion will involve spending C$28 million on a series of initiatives,
including:
- The installation of new Wayside Inspection Systems at
additional locations specifically identified as a result of CN's
corridor risk assessment program;
- The acquisition of additional hi-rail trucks that measure track
geometric parameters such as rail gauge and cross level, and
- Predictive analytics and data management initiatives to assess
mechanical trends and identify opportunities for pre-emptive
maintenance work, as well as give engineering forces a better
understanding of track health so that they can prioritize
maintenance and capital programs.
A major step in upgrading CN's detection technology was the
completion in 2015 of a new Track Evaluation System car that was
upgraded with the latest technology for assessing track geometry,
identifying missing and broken track components through optical
imaging, as well as objectively evaluating tie condition. CN also
employs outside contractors who conduct ultrasonic technology
inspections to detect internal rail defects that are not
visible.
CN has the densest network of wayside detection technology in
North America and has increased
the number of wayside inspection detectors on its network by more
than 30 per cent in the past decade, and increased the number of
wheel impact load detectors by 60 per cent over the same period. CN
has also doubled the frequency of ultrasonic flaw detection over
the last 10 years.
Vena said: "The application of new technologies to detect and
prevent mechanical and engineering flaws is a key part of our
safety mindset. This approach and rigorous safety processes and the
continued strengthening of our safety culture are integral to our
unwavering commitment to safety."
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain information included in this news release constitutes
"forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United
States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and under
Canadian securities laws. CN cautions that, by their nature, these
forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and
assumptions. The Company cautions that its assumptions may
not materialize and that current economic conditions render such
assumptions, although reasonable at the time they were made,
subject to greater uncertainty. Such forward-looking statements are
not guarantees of future performance and involve known and unknown
risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual
results or performance of the Company or the rail industry to be
materially different from the outlook or any future results or
performance implied by such statements. Important factors that
could affect the above forward-looking statements include, but are
not limited to, the effects of general economic and business
conditions, industry competition, inflation, currency and interest
rate fluctuations, changes in fuel prices, legislative and/or
regulatory developments, compliance with environmental laws and
regulations, actions by regulators, various events which could
disrupt operations, including natural events such as severe
weather, droughts, floods and earthquakes, labor negotiations and
disruptions, environmental claims, uncertainties of investigations,
proceedings or other types of claims and litigation, risks and
liabilities arising from derailments, and other risks and
assumptions detailed from time to time in reports filed by CN with
securities regulators in Canada
and the United States. Reference
should be made to "Management's Discussion and Analysis" in CN's
annual and interim reports, Annual Information Form and Form 40-F
filed with Canadian and U.S. securities regulators, available on
CN's website, for a summary of major risks.
CN assumes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking
statements to reflect future events, changes in circumstances, or
changes in beliefs, unless required by applicable Canadian
securities laws. In the event CN does update any forward-looking
statement, no inference should be made that CN will make additional
updates with respect to that statement, related matters, or any
other forward-looking statement.
CN is a true backbone of the economy whose team of approximately
23,000 railroaders transports more than 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 of
approximately 20,000 route-miles 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 about CN, visit the Company's website at
www.cn.ca.
SOURCE CN