Photo: CN

Railway strike vote dismays farmers  

Grain Growers of Canada calls on railways, workers to resolve their differences 

Grain Growers of Canada is sounding the alarm over a potential strike by workers at both of the country’s major railways.


Rail cars in Vancouver. (Photo courtesy/copyright Canadian National Railway)

Rail strike looms as CN, CPKC workers take action to a vote

Any labour disruption could be weeks away, but the grain sector is still wary

Members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) are in the middle of a strike vote. The vote comes after three collective agreements, covering CN and CPKC engineers and conductors as well as rail traffic controllers at CPCK, expired December 31.



CN closes deal on Iowa railway

CN closes deal on Iowa railway

The agreement will link about 275 track miles to the carrier's U.S. rail network

Canadian National Railway (CN) has inked a deal to buy an Iowa railway and connect it to its U.S. rail network, the company announced Dec. 6.

(Photo courtesy Canola Council of Canada)

Preview: Railways, grain shippers at loggerheads over interswitching

Pilot to test expanded radius deemed unnecessary by both sides

Recent legislation has raised the stakes in a decade-long battle between the railways and Canadian grain shippers over the interswitching radius. Interswitching refers to a regulation to ensure shippers located where only a single railway operates can access points that are not served by that railway. The issue is especially concerning for Canadian grain shippers […] Read more

Smoke rises from a wildfire near Wildwood, Alta., about 100 km west of Edmonton, on May 5, 2023. (Photo: Alberta Wildfire/Handout via Reuters)

Alberta ‘crossing fingers’ for rain amid wildfires

CN mainline traffic west of Edmonton suspended

Reuters — Firefighters were counting on rain and cooler weather forecast for Monday to help them quell a dramatic start to Alberta’s wildfire season. The province declared a state of emergency on Saturday in response to wildfires in northern and central regions that have displaced nearly 30,000 people and prompted energy producers to shut in […] Read more


File photo of a CN locomotive. (Dave Bedard photo)

CN’s mechanics, intermodal staff ratify labour deal

Agreement averted strike in March

Mechanics, intermodal and clerical workers at Canadian National Railway (CN) who were on the brink of striking in March have voted to ratify the agreements that kept them off the picket line. Unifor, which represents about 3,000 CN employees, said Friday its members voted to ratify four new two-year collective bargaining agreements taking them through […] Read more

(File photo by Dave Bedard)

‘Unexpectedly high’ fuel costs lift railways’ revenue index

VRCPIs for CN, CP increased for 2023-24

The index that determines how much Prairie grain handling revenue Canada’s big two railways get to keep will be raised in the coming crop year, mainly on way-higher-than-expected fuel costs. The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) on Thursday announced the volume-related composite price index (VRCPI) for Canadian National Railway (CN) for 2023-24 will be 1.8295, up […] Read more