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CN Sets Grain Movement Record for 12 Consecutive Months

Company continues to move grain safely at record pace despite Arctic temperatures

CN Michigan train rail

CN announces that for 12 consecutive months it has set a new record by shipping over 2.28 million metric tonnes (MMT) of Canadian grain and processed grain products via carload in February. This exceeds the previous February record set in 2019 of 2.12 MMT by over 7%.

So far, during the 2020-2021 crop year, CN has moved over 19.7 MMT of Canadian Grain. This is 24% higher than the three-year average of 15.9 MMT, and 17% higher than the record of 16.9 MMT set in the 2018-2019 crop year. CN is also breaking records with over 700,000 metric tonnes of grain moving directly from western Canada via containers, in addition to volumes shipped from eastern Canada.

“We are proud of the accomplishments of our team of railroaders despite the fact that the first half of the month of February was characterized by a severe cold outbreak," says Rob Reilly, executive vice president and COO. "The resulting challenging operating conditions across a large part of our network did not prevent them from ensuring that our network was running safely and that we kept meeting our customers’ needs during this period. CN’s investments in air distribution cars and automated track inspection technology has contributed to greater safety and higher productivity this winter. The ongoing collaboration between CN, the ports, Canadian grain farmers, as well as all of our supply chain partners has been, without any doubt, the key to our success during this challenging month.“

CN's continued ability to deliver record amounts of grain and as well as other commodities and goods is largely due to the investments in capacity made by the railroad over the past few years. Since 2018, CN has invested over $10B in track, locomotives, and railcars, including the purchase of over 2,500 new high capacity grain hopper cars.

CN diligently prepares in order to implement specific measures to mitigate the difficult operating conditions that inevitably arise when extreme winter temperatures occur on its network in its annual winter plan.

About CN
CN is a world-class transportation leader and trade-enabler. Essential to the economy, to the customers, and to the communities it serves, CN safely transports more than 300 million tons of natural resources, manufactured products, and finished goods throughout North America every year.

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