View source for Canadian National Railway

{{short description|Canadian Class I freight railway company}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{Essay-like|date=December 2023}}
{{More citations needed|date=April 2022}}
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{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2012}}
{{Infobox rail
| railroad_name = Canadian National Railway Company
| other_name    = {{lang|fr|i=unset|Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada}}
| logo          = CN Railway logo.svg
| logo_size     = 200
| system_map    = Canadian National System Map.PNG
| map_caption   = System map
| image         = CN 8015, 5690 and 5517 Hinton - Jasper.jpg
| image_size    = 250
| image_caption = A CN freight train in [[Alberta]], Canada, pulled by three diesel-electric locomotives (types [[EMD SD70M-2]], [[EMD SD75I|SD75I]], and [[EMD SD60F|SD60F]]).
| headquarters  = [[Montreal]]
| marks         = CN
| locale        = [[Canada]], [[United States]]
| start_year    = {{start date|1919|6|6}} 
| end_year      = present
| gauge         = {{Track gauge|1435mm|allk=on}}
| old_gauge     = {{Track gauge|1067mm|lk=on}}
| length        = {{convert|20000|mi|km|sigfig=2|abbr=on}}
| website       = {{URL|https://www.cn.ca}}
}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Canadian National Railway Company
| logo = CN Railway logo.svg
| logo_size = 200
| logo_alt = Minimalist logo with a red uninterrupted smooth and thick line that spells the letters C and N
| image = CN HQ 03 (cropped).jpg
| image_size = 250
| image_caption = The headquarters of CN in [[Downtown Montreal]]
| native_name = {{plainlist|
* Canadian National Railway Company{{efn|Section 14 of the ''CN Commercialization Act''<ref>{{cite act |title=CN Commercialization Act |type=SC |date=1995 |institution=Parliament of Canada |at=c. 24 |url=https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-0.2/page-1.html |access-date=2024-07-02}}</ref> allows the company to be reincorporated under the ''[[Canada Business Corporations Act]]'' under the name "Canadian National Railway Company" and its French equivalent (i.e. without adding words such as "Incorporated", "Limited" or abbreviations or French equivalents)|name=CNCA-naming}}
* {{lang|fr|Compagnie des Chemins de fer nationaux du Canada}}}}
| former_name = Canadian National Railways (1919–1978)
| type = [[Public company|Public]]
| traded_as = {{plainlist|
*{{Toronto Stock Exchange|CNR}}
*{{New York Stock Exchange|CNI}}
*[[S&P/TSX 60]] component (CNR)}}
| industry = [[Transport]]
| predecessor = [[Canadian Northern Railway]]
| foundation = {{start date and age|1919|06|06}}
| hq_location_city = [[Montreal]], Quebec
| hq_location_country = Canada
| key_people = {{ubl|
   | Shauneen Bruder ([[Chairman|Chair]])<ref name="2024 Annual Report Cover" />
   | [[Tracy A. Robinson|Tracy Robinson]] ([[president (corporate title)|President]] and [[CEO]])
   }}
| revenue = {{increase}} {{CA$| 17.05 billion|link=yes}}<ref name="2024 Annual Report">{{cite web|url=https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/16868/000110465925009198/tm251244d1_40f.htm|title=2024 Annual Report (Form 40-F) |date=February 4, 2025 |access-date=February 4, 2025 |publisher=U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission}}</ref>
| revenue_year = 2024
| operating_income = {{decrease}} {{CA$| 4.27B}}<ref name="Q2 2025" /> 
| income_year = 2024
| net_income = {{increase}} {{CA$| 1.17B}}<ref name="Q2 2025" />
| net_income_year = 2024
| assets = {{increase}} {{CA$| 57.07 billion}}<ref name="2024 Annual Report" />
| assets_year = 2024
| equity = {{increase}} {{CA$| 21.05 billion}}<ref name="2024 Annual Report" />
| equity_year = 2024
| num_employees = 24,671 (2024)<ref name="2024 Annual Report Cover">{{cite web|url=https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/16868/000110465925009198/tm251244d1_40f.htm|title=2024 Annual Report Cover (Form 40-F) |date=February 4, 2025 |access-date=February 4, 2025 |publisher=U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission}}</ref>
| website = {{URL|cn.ca}}
}}
The '''Canadian National Railway Company'''{{efn|Section 14 of the ''CN Commercialization Act''<ref>{{cite act |title=CN Commercialization Act |type=SC |date=1995 |institution=Parliament of Canada |at=c. 24 |url=https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-0.2/page-1.html |access-date=2024-07-02}}</ref> allows the company to be reincorporated under the ''[[Canada Business Corporations Act]]'' under the name "Canadian National Railway Company" and its French equivalent (i.e. without adding words such as "Incorporated", "Limited" or abbreviations or French equivalents)|name=CNCA-naming}} ({{langx|fr|Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada}}) {{Reporting mark|CN}} is a Canadian [[Class I railroad|Class I freight railway]] headquartered in [[Montreal]], Quebec, which serves [[Canada]] and the [[Midwestern United States|Midwestern]] and [[Southern United States]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Canadian National Railways |website=Science Museum Group Collection |access-date=2024-07-02 |url=https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/people/ap26876/canadian-national-railways |author=<!--Not stated--> |publisher=[[Science Museum Group]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=A New Canadian – U.S. Intermodal Service |date=2023-09-11 |access-date=2024-07-02 |url=https://www.cn.ca/en/news/2023/09/a-new-canadian--us-intermodal-service |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=cn.ca |publisher=Canadian National Railway |archive-date=June 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627114924/https://www.cn.ca/en/news/2023/09/a-new-canadian--us-intermodal-service |url-status=live }}</ref> It is one of Canada's two main freight rail companies, along with [[Canadian Pacific Kansas City]].

CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue and the physical size of its rail network,<ref name="railwaysuppliers">{{Cite web |title=The Canadian Transportation Network - Industry Statistics |access-date=2024-07-02 |url=https://railwaysuppliers.ca/english/industry/industry-information.html/industry-statistics |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=The Canadian Association of Railway Suppliers |publisher=CARS/ACFCF |archive-date=August 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240816164719/https://railwaysuppliers.ca/english/industry/industry-information.html/industry-statistics |url-status=live }}</ref> spanning Canada from the Atlantic coast in [[Nova Scotia]] to the Pacific coast in [[British Columbia]] across approximately {{convert|20,000|rtmi|km|sigfig=2}} of track.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Maps and Network |access-date=2024-07-02 |url=https://www.cn.ca/en/our-services/maps-and-network |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=cn.ca |publisher=Canadian National Railway |archive-date=May 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240525183028/https://www.cn.ca/en/our-services/maps-and-network |url-status=live }}</ref> In the late 20th century, CN gained extensive capacity in the United States by taking over such railroads as the [[Illinois Central Railroad|Illinois Central]].<ref name="railwaysuppliers"/>

CN is a public company with 24,671 employees<ref name="2024 Annual Report Cover" /> and, {{as of|July 2024|lc=y}}, a [[Market capitalization|market cap]] of approximately US$75&nbsp;billion.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/quote/cni?ltr=1 |title=Canadian National Railway Company (CNI) |language=en-CA |access-date=2024-07-02 |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=Yahoo! Finance |publisher=Yahoo |archive-date=September 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200903143120/https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/quote/cni?ltr=1 |url-status=live }}</ref> CN was government-owned, as a [[Crown corporations of Canada|Canadian Crown corporation]], from its founding in 1919 until being [[privatized]] in 1995. {{As of|2019}}, [[Bill Gates]] was the largest single shareholder of CN stock, owning a 14.2% interest through [[Cascade Investment]] and his own [[Gates Foundation]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Canadian National Railway Company {{!}} SC 13G |url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/16868/000110465920020187/a20-7783_1sc13ga.htm |website=www.sec.gov |access-date=2024-07-02 |date=2019-12-31 |author=<!--Not stated--> |publisher=[[U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission]] |archive-date=April 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220424210918/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/16868/000110465920020187/a20-7783_1sc13ga.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Afleming cn.jpg|thumb|left|Designer [[Allan Fleming]] and CN director of communications Charles Harris at the launch of the CN logo at Montreal in 1960. Fleming's logo has since become an icon of [[graphic design]].]]{{Unreferenced section|date=October 2025}}
The Canadian National Railways (CNR) was incorporated on June 6, 1919, comprising several railways that had become bankrupt and fallen into [[Government of Canada]] hands, along with some railways already owned by the government. Primarily a [[cargo|freight]] railway, CN also operated [[passenger]] services until 1978, when they were assumed by [[Via Rail]]. The only passenger services run by CN after 1978 were several [[mixed train]]s (freight and passenger) in [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]], and several commuter trains both on CN's electrified routes and towards the [[South Shore (Montreal)|South Shore]] in the Montreal area (the latter lasted without any public subsidy until 1986). The Newfoundland mixed trains lasted until 1988, while the Montreal commuter trains are now operated by Montreal's [[Agence métropolitaine de transport|EXO]].
[[File:Canadian Northern Pacific (CN) Railroad Last Spike.jpg|thumb|right|Historical marker at site of Canadian Northern's "last spike" near [[Ashcroft, British Columbia]]]]
On November 17, 1995, the Government of Canada privatized CN. Over the next decade, the company expanded significantly into the United States, purchasing [[Illinois Central Railroad]] and [[Wisconsin Central Transportation]], among others.

===Creation of the company, 1918–1923===
The excessive construction of railway lines in Canada led to significant financial difficulties striking many of them, in the years leading up to 1920:

:* In response to public concerns, the Government of Canada assumed majority ownership of the near-bankrupt [[Canadian Northern Railway]] (CNoR) on September 6, 1918, and appointed a "Board of Management" to oversee the company. At the same time, CNoR was also directed to assume management of [[Canadian Government Railways]] (CGR), a system mainly comprising the [[Intercolonial Railway of Canada]] (IRC), [[National Transcontinental Railway]] (NTR), [[Prince Edward Island Railway]] (PEIR), and the [[Hudson Bay Railway (1910)|Hudson Bay Railway]] (HBR).
:* On December 20, 1918, the Government of Canada created the '''Canadian National Railways''' (CNR) – a body with no corporate powers – through [[Order in Council]] as a means to simplify the funding and operation of the various railway companies.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/politics-government/orders-council/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=326312|title= OIC 1918–3122: Canadian National Railways – Board of Directors of the Canadian Northern Railway to use this collection designation as description of the Canadian Northern and Canadian Government Railway systems without prejudice|author= <!--Not stated-->|date= December 20, 1918|publisher= [[Privy Council of Canada]]|access-date= December 16, 2020|archive-date= May 6, 2021|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210506154917/https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/politics-government/orders-council/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=326312|url-status= live}}</ref> The absorption of the Intercolonial Railway would see CNR adopt that system's slogan, ''The People's Railway''.
:* Another Canadian railway, the [[Grand Trunk Pacific Railway]] (GTPR), encountered financial difficulty on March 7, 1919, when its parent company [[Grand Trunk Railway]] (GTR) defaulted on repayment of construction loans to the Government of Canada.

The Canadian National Railway Company then evolved through the following steps:

:* the "railways, works and undertakings of the Companies comprised in the Canadian Northern System" were vested in the newly incorporated Company in June 1919, with provision for the later inclusion of any of the Government Railways<ref>{{Cite canlaw|short title  =An Act to incorporate Canadian National Railway Company and respecting Canadian National Railways|abbr =S.C.|year =1919|chapter =13|link=https://archive.org/stream/actsofparl1919v01cana#page/36/mode/2up}}</ref>
:* vesting of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway System in the [[Minister of Railways and Canals]], acting as Government Receiver, in March 1919<ref>{{Cite canlaw|short title  =An Act to confirm two Orders of the Governor General in Council respecting the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway System|abbr =S.C.|year =1919|chapter =22|link=https://archive.org/stream/actsofparl1919v01cana#page/76/mode/2up}}</ref>
:* acquisition of the Grand Trunk Railway System in November 1919, implemented in May 1920<ref>{{Cite canlaw|short title  =The Grand Trunk Railway Acquisition Act, 1919|abbr =S.C.|year =1919 (2nd sess.)|chapter =17|link=https://archive.org/details/actsofparl1919v01cana_0/page/48/mode/2up}}, supplemented by {{Cite canlaw|short title  =An Act to confirm the Agreement dated the eighth day of March, 1920, between His Majesty the King and the Grand Trunk Railway Company of Canada for the acquisition by His Majesty of the capital stock of the said Grand Trunk Railway Company, except the four per cent guaranteed stock|abbr =S.C.|year =1920|chapter =13|link=https://archive.org/stream/actsofparl1920v01cana#page/26/mode/2up}}</ref>

GTR management and shareholders opposed to [[nationalization]] took legal action, but after several years of arbitration,<ref>as provided for under ''The Grand Trunk Railway Acquisition Act, 1919'', subsequently extended by {{Cite canlaw|short title  =An Act respecting the Grand Trunk Arbitration|abbr =S.C.|year =1921 |chapter =9|link=https://archive.org/stream/actsofparl1921v01cana#page/24/mode/2up}}</ref> the GTR was finally absorbed into the CNR on January 30, 1923.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/politics-government/orders-council/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=400072|title= OIC 1923-0115: Can. Govt. Rys. etc placed under the management and control of the C.N.R. Co.|author= <!--Not stated-->|date= January 20, 1923|publisher= [[Privy Council of Canada]]|access-date= December 16, 2020|archive-date= September 4, 2022|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220904165041/https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/politics-government/orders-council/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=400072|url-status= live}}</ref> Although several smaller independent railways would be added to the CNR in subsequent years as they went bankrupt or it became politically expedient to do so, the system was more or less finalized at that point. However, certain related lawsuits were not resolved until as late as 1936.<ref>{{cite BAILII|litigants= George Pardew Lovibond v Grand Trunk Railway Company of Canada|link=|court=UKPC|year=1936|num=35|format=1|parallelcite=[1936] 2 All ER 495; 1936 CanLII 332 (UK JCPC)|date=14 May 1936}}, on appeal from {{cite CanLII|litigants=Lovibond v Grand Trunk Railway Co|link=|year=1933|court=onca|num=143|format=canlii|parallelcite=[1933] OR 727;  [1933] 4 DLR 425|date=1933-06-28|courtname=auto}}</ref>

Canadian National Railways was born out of both wartime and domestic urgency. Until the rise of the personal automobile and creation of taxpayer-funded all-weather highways, railways were the only viable long-distance land transportation available in Canada. As such, their operation consumed a great deal of public and political attention. Canada was one of many nations to engage in [[railway nationalization]] in order to safeguard critical transportation infrastructure during the [[First World War]].

In the early 20th century, many governments were taking a more interventionist role in the economy, foreshadowing the influence of economists like [[John Maynard Keynes]]. This political trend, combined with broader geo-political events, made nationalization an appealing choice for Canada. [[Winnipeg general strike|The Winnipeg General Strike of 1919]] and allied involvement in the [[Russian Revolution of 1917|Russian Revolution]] seemed to validate the continuing process. The need for a viable rail system was paramount in a time of civil unrest and foreign military action.

===Acquisitions===
'''Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad'''

The B&LE was acquired with the purchase of Great Lakes Transportation and the DM&IR.

'''British Columbia Railway'''

In 2003, BCOL sold to Canadian National and leased the railroad to CN for 60 years.

'''Central Vermont Railway'''

Central Vermont was nationalized in 1918 and consolidated into the Grand Trunk Western in 1971 with the creation of the Grand Trunk Corporation.

'''Duluth Missabe & Iron Range Railroad'''

The DM&IR was purchased by Great Lakes Transportation and in 2011 the DM&IR was merged into CN's Wisconsin Central Subsidiary. The DM&IR was acquired at the same time as the Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad.

'''Duluth Winnipeg & Pacific Railroad'''

The DWP was nationalized with CN in 1918 and became a part of CN's Grand Trunk Corporation in 1971. In 2011 the DWP was merged into the larger Wisconsin Central Subsidiary of CN.

'''Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway'''

In 2009, CN acquired the [[Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway]] to assist with traffic congestion in Chicago and the surrounding area. In 2013 EJ&E was merged into the greater Wisconsin Central Subsidiary of CN.

'''Grand Trunk Western Railroad'''

The GTW was merged with Central Vermont in 1971 with the creation of the Grand Trunk Corporation. In 1991 the GTW was merged with CN under the "North America" consolidation program. Many of GTWs locomotives and rolling stock would be repainted and the motive power would get the new CN scheme.

'''Illinois Central Railroad'''

In 1998, IC was purchased by CN, which also acquired the Chicago Central in the deal. A year later, the two railroads were formally amalgamated into the CN system.

'''Iowa Northern Railway'''

In 2023, CN acquired the [[Iowa Northern Railway]], but the transaction is awaiting approval by the Surface Transportation Board (STB).<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 6, 2023 |title=Canadian National to acquire Iowa Northern Railway |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/canadian-national-to-acquire-iowa-northern-railway/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207203902/https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/canadian-national-to-acquire-iowa-northern-railway/ |archive-date=December 7, 2023 |access-date=December 8, 2023 |work=Trains}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Limmer |first=Dennis |date=December 7, 2023 |title=CN Buys Iowa Northern Railway, Boosts Network |url=https://retailwire.com/cn-buys-iowa-northern-railway-boosts-network/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231208053527/https://retailwire.com/cn-buys-iowa-northern-railway-boosts-network/ |archive-date=December 8, 2023 |access-date=December 8, 2023 |work=RetailWire}}</ref> On January 14, 2025, the STB approved the CN acquisition of the Iowa Northern Railway, a Class III shortline that specializes in the transport of grain, ethanol, and other bio-fuels commodities in the state of Iowa.<ref name="trains.com">{{cite web |last1=Stephens |first1=Bill |title=STB greenlights Canadian National's acquisition of Iowa Northern |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/stb-greenlights-canadian-nationals-acquisition-of-iowa-northern/ |website=Trains |access-date=14 January 2025 |date=14 January 2025}}</ref>

'''Mackenzie Northern Railway'''

In 2006, CN acquired [[Mackenzie Northern Railway]], previously purchased by [[RailAmerica]]. This purchase allowed CN to increase their network footprint and hold the northernmost trackage of the contiguous [[North American]] railway network. Since being purchased by CN in 2006, it has been officially known as the Meander River Subdivision.<ref>{{cite web |title=West Division '07 |url=http://www.cwrailway.ca/cnrha.ca/Timetables%2007/Edmonton/Meander%20River.pdf |website=CN |access-date=September 22, 2021 |archive-date=September 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210922032516/http://www.cwrailway.ca/cnrha.ca/Timetables%2007/Edmonton/Meander%20River.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=CN buys back into northern rail system {{!}} CBC News |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/cn-buys-back-into-northern-rail-system-1.600463 |access-date=September 22, 2021 |archive-date=September 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210922032506/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/cn-buys-back-into-northern-rail-system-1.600463 |url-status=live }}</ref>

'''Newfoundland Railway'''
On 31 March 1949, CNR acquired the assets of the [[Newfoundland Railway]], which in 1979 were reorganized into [[Terra Transport]]. CN officially abandoned its rail network in Newfoundland on 1 October 1988.

'''Savage Alberta Railway'''

On December 1, 2006, CN announced that it had purchased [[Savage Alberta Railway]] for $25 million and that it had begun operating the railway the same day.<ref>{{cite web |title=CN - News - CN buys northwestern Alberta shortline from Savage Companies for {{CAD|25}} million |url=http://cn.ca/about/media/news_releases/2006/4th_quarter/en_News20061201.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927194622/http://cn.ca/about/media/news_releases/2006/4th_quarter/en_News20061201.shtml |archive-date=27 September 2007 |access-date=11 January 2022 |website=cn.ca}}</ref>

'''TransX Group of Companies'''

In 2018, CN acquired the Winnipeg-based TransX Group of Companies. TransX continues to operate independently.<ref>{{cite web |date=July 28, 2021 |title=CN Acquires TransX |url=https://transx.com/cn-acquires-transx/ |access-date=May 11, 2022 |archive-date=June 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628065013/https://transx.com/cn-acquires-transx/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

'''Wisconsin Central Railroad'''

In January 2001, CN acquired the WC for $800 million.

===CN's U.S. subsidiaries prior to privatization===
CN's railway network in the late 1980s consisted of the company's Canadian trackage, along with the following U.S. subsidiary lines: [[Grand Trunk Western Railroad]] (GTW) operating in [[Michigan]], [[Indiana]], and [[Illinois]]; [[Duluth, Winnipeg and Pacific Railway]] (DWP) operating in [[Minnesota]]; [[Central Vermont Railway]] (CV) operating down the [[Connecticut River]] valley from [[Quebec]] to [[Long Island Sound]]; and the [[St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad|Berlin subdivision]] to [[Portland, Maine]], known informally as the ''Grand Trunk Eastern'', sold to a short-line operator in 1989.<ref>{{cite book |last=Melvin |first=George F. |title =Trackside Grand Trunk New England Lines with John Ames |publisher =Morning Sun Books |date =2007 |location =Scotch Plains, New Jersey |page =8 |isbn =978-1-58248-193-7}}</ref>

===Privatization===
In 1992, a new management team led by ex-federal government bureaucrats, [[Paul Tellier]] and [[Michael Sabia]], started preparing CN for [[privatization]] by emphasizing increased productivity. This was achieved largely through aggressive cuts to the company's management structure, widescale layoffs in its workforce and continued abandonment or sale of its branch lines. In 1993 and 1994, the company experimented with a rebranding that saw the names ''CN'', ''Grand Trunk Western'', and ''Duluth, Winnipeg, and Pacific'' replaced under a collective '''CN North America''' moniker. In this time, CPR and CN entered into negotiations regarding a possible merger of the two companies. This was later rejected by the Government of Canada, whereupon CPR offered to purchase outright all of CN's lines from Ontario to Nova Scotia, while an unidentified U.S. railroad (rumoured to have been [[Burlington Northern Railroad]]) would purchase CN's lines in western Canada. This too was rejected. In 1995, the entire company including its U.S. subsidiaries reverted to using '''CN''' exclusively.

The ''CN Commercialization Act''<ref>{{cite web|title=CN Commercialization Act (S.C. 1995, c. 24)|url=http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/c-0.2/|website=GoC Justice Laws Website|publisher=Government of Canada|access-date=7 November 2015|archive-date=September 28, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928211240/http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-0.2/|url-status=live}}</ref> was enacted into law on July 13, 1995, and by November 28, 1995, the Government of Canada had completed an [[initial public offering]] (IPO) and transferred all of its shares to private investors. Two key prohibitions in this legislation include, 1) that no individual or corporate shareholder may own more than 15% of CN, and 2) that the company's headquarters must remain in [[Montreal]], thus maintaining CN as a Canadian corporation.

===Contraction and expansion since privatization===
Following the successful IPO, CN has recorded impressive gains in its stock price, largely through an aggressive network rationalization and purchase of newer more fuel-efficient locomotives. Numerous branch lines were shed in the late 1990s across Canada, resulting in dozens of independent [[Short-line railroad|short line]] railway companies being established to operate former CN track that had been considered marginal. This network rationalization resulted in a core east–west freight railway stretching from [[Halifax, Nova Scotia|Halifax]] to [[Chicago]] and Toronto to Vancouver and [[Prince Rupert, British Columbia|Prince Rupert]]. The railway also operated trains from [[Winnipeg]] to Chicago using trackage rights for part of the route south of Duluth.

In addition to the rationalization in Canada, the company also expanded in a strategic north–south direction in the [[central United States]]. In 1998, in an era of mergers in the U.S. rail industry, CN bought the [[Illinois Central Railroad]] (IC), which connected the already existing lines from [[Vancouver]], British Columbia, to [[Halifax Regional Municipality|Halifax]], Nova Scotia, with a line running from Chicago, Illinois, to [[New Orleans]], Louisiana. This single purchase of IC transformed CN's entire corporate focus from being an east–west uniting presence within Canada (sometimes to the detriment of logical business models) into a north–south ''NAFTA'' railway (in reference to the [[North American Free Trade Agreement]]). CN was then feeding Canadian raw material exports into the U.S. heartland and beyond to Mexico through a strategic alliance with [[Kansas City Southern Railway]] (KCS).

[[File:2012-03-20 Hammond LA Amtrak station.JPG|thumb|right|Properties of the CN in the United States serve, in many instances, as routes for [[Amtrak]]. Pictured is [[Hammond station (Louisiana)|the Amtrak station]] in [[Hammond, Louisiana]], refurbished with a modern passenger platform. This segment of the CN was built in 1854 to form part of the [[New Orleans, Jackson and Great Northern]] railway, which later became part of Illinois Central.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}}]]

In 1999, CN and [[BNSF Railway]], the second largest rail system in the U.S., announced their intent to merge, forming a new corporate entity ''North American Railways'', headquartered in Montreal to conform to the ''CN Commercialization Act'' of 1995. The merger announcement by CN's Paul Tellier and BNSF's [[Robert Krebs]] was greeted with skepticism by the U.S. government's [[Surface Transportation Board]] (STB), and protested by other major North American rail companies, namely CPR and [[Union Pacific Railroad]] (UP). Rail customers{{Who|date=February 2011}} also denounced the proposed merger, following the confusion and poor service sustained in southeastern Texas in 1998 following UP's purchase of [[Southern Pacific Railroad]] two years earlier. In response to the rail industry, shippers, and political pressure, the STB placed a 15-month moratorium on all rail-industry mergers, effectively scuttling CN-BNSF plans. Both companies dropped their merger applications and have never refiled.
[[File:SD60F.JPG|thumb|right|CN [[EMD SD60F]] parked in [[Toledo, Ohio]]]]

After the STB moratorium expired, CN purchased [[Wisconsin Central Ltd.|Wisconsin Central]] (WC) in 2001, which allowed the company's rail network to encircle [[Lake Michigan]] and [[Lake Superior]], permitting more efficient connections from Chicago to western Canada. The deal also included Canadian WC subsidiary [[Algoma Central Railway]] (ACR), giving access to [[Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario|Sault Ste. Marie]] and [[Upper Peninsula of Michigan|Michigan's Upper Peninsula]]. The purchase of Wisconsin Central also made CN the owner of [[DB Cargo UK|EWS]], the principal freight train operator in the United Kingdom.

On May 13, 2003, the provincial government of British Columbia announced the provincial [[Crown corporations of Canada|Crown corporation]], [[BC Rail]] (BCR), would be sold with the winning bidder receiving BCR's surface operating assets (locomotives, cars, and service facilities). The provincial government is retaining ownership of the tracks and right-of-way. On November 25, 2003, it was announced CN's bid of {{CAD|1}}{{nbsp}}billion would be accepted over those of CPR and several U.S. companies. The transaction was closed effective July 15, 2004. Many opponents – including CPR – accused the government and CN of rigging the bidding process, though this has been denied by the government. Documents relating to the case are under court seal, as they are connected to a parallel [[grow-op|marijuana grow-op]] investigation connected with two senior government aides also involved in the sale of BC Rail.

Also contested was the economic stimulus package the government gave cities along the BC Rail route. Some saw it as a buy-off to get the municipalities to cooperate with the lease, though the government asserted the package was intended to promote economic development along the corridor. Passenger service along the route had been ended by BC Rail a few years earlier due to ongoing losses resulting from deteriorating service. The cancelled passenger service has subsequently been replaced by a blue-plate tourist service, the [[Rocky Mountaineer]], with fares well over double what the BCR coach fares had been.

CN also announced in October 2003 an agreement to purchase [[Great Lakes Transportation]] (GLT), a holding company owned by Blackstone Group for US$380 million. GLT was the owner of [[Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad]], [[Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway]] (DM&IR), and the Pittsburgh & Conneaut Dock Company. The key instigator for the deal was  that since the Wisconsin Central purchase, CN was required to use DM&IR trackage rights for a short {{cvt|11|mi|km|order=flip}} "gap" near [[Duluth, Minnesota]], on the route between Chicago and Winnipeg. To purchase this short section, CN was told by GLT it would have to purchase the entire company. Also included in GLT's portfolio were eight Great Lakes vessels for transporting bulk commodities such as coal and iron ore as well as various port facilities. Following Surface Transportation Board approval for the transaction, CN completed the purchase of GLT on May 10, 2004.

On December 24, 2008, the STB approved CN's purchase for $300 million of the principal lines of the [[Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway]] Company (EJ&E) ([[List of reporting marks: E|reporting mark]] EJE) from the [[U.S. Steel Corporation]], originally announced on September 27, 2007. The STB's decision was to become effective on January 23, 2009, with a closure of the transaction shortly thereafter. The EJ&E lines create a bypass around the western side of heavily congested Chicago-area rail hub and its conversion to use for mainline freight traffic is expected to alleviate substantial bottlenecks for both regional and intercontinental rail traffic subject to lengthy delays entering and exiting Chicago freight yards. The purchase of the lightly used EJ&E corridor was positioned by CN as a boon not only for its own business but for the efficiency of the entire U.S. rail system.

On December 31, 2011, CN completed the merger of DM&IR, DWP, and WC into its Wisconsin Central Ltd. subsidiary.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rtands.com/newsflash/cn-completes-merger-of-dmir-dwp-into-wisconsin-central-4882.html |title=CN completes merger of DMIR, DWP into Wisconsin Central |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120526075151/http://www.rtands.com/newsflash/cn-completes-merger-of-dmir-dwp-into-wisconsin-central-4882.html |archive-date=May 26, 2012 |url-status=dead |work=[[Railway Track & Structures]] |date=January 3, 2012 |access-date=January 4, 2012}}</ref>

In March 2021, CN subsidiary WCL reached a deal to sell roughly {{cvt|900|mi|order=flip}} of non-core rail lines and assets in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ontario to short-line operator [[Watco]].<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.cn.ca/en/news/2021/03/cn-and-watco-reach-agreement-on-sale-of-rail-lines-in-northern-o/ |title=CN and Watco Reach Agreement on Sale of Rail Lines in Northern Ontario, Wisconsin, and Michigan |publisher=CN |date=March 30, 2021 |access-date=July 7, 2021 |archive-date=July 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709184923/https://www.cn.ca/en/news/2021/03/cn-and-watco-reach-agreement-on-sale-of-rail-lines-in-northern-o/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In April 2021, CN bid nearly $30 billion for [[Kansas City Southern (company)|Kansas City Southern]] (KCS), ostensibly creating a bidding war between itself and CPR, who had placed a $25 billion bid for the company in March. CN's offer represented a 21% premium to the one made by Canadian Pacific, offering $325 for each share and including $200 in cash. The move by CN was influenced by the projected economic upturn once the world began to emerge from the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], with KCS's railroad network reaching from Canada, through the United States, and running along the Panama Canal.<ref>{{cite news|last=Lombardo|first=Cara|date=2021-04-20|title=Canadian National Makes $30 Billion Topping Bid for Kansas City Southern|language=en-US|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/canadian-national-plans-to-make-30-billion-topping-bid-for-kansas-city-southern-11618915544|access-date=2021-04-30|issn=0099-9660|archive-date=August 16, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240816164721/https://www.wsj.com/articles/canadian-national-plans-to-make-30-billion-topping-bid-for-kansas-city-southern-11618915544|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=CP shareholders say bidding war for Kansas City Southern unnecessary|url=https://financialpost.com/transportation/rail/cp-shareholders-say-bidding-war-for-kansas-city-southern-unnecessary|access-date=2021-04-30|newspaper=Financial Post|date=April 28, 2021|language=en-CA|last1=Keidan|first1=Maiya|last2=Smith|first2=Fergal|archive-date=April 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210430113313/https://financialpost.com/transportation/rail/cp-shareholders-say-bidding-war-for-kansas-city-southern-unnecessary|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=La Monica |first=Paul R. |date=2021-04-20 |title=Two Canadian railroads launch bidding war for rare access to Mexico |website=[[CNN Business]] |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/20/investing/kansas-city-southern-canadian-national-bidding-war/index.html |access-date=2021-04-30 |archive-date=April 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210430113312/https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/20/investing/kansas-city-southern-canadian-national-bidding-war/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=McNish|first=Jacquie|date=2021-03-21|title=Railroads Strike a $25 Billion Merger|language=en-US|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/railroads-strike-a-25-billion-merger-11616330332|access-date=2021-04-30|issn=0099-9660|archive-date=March 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210323233027/https://www.wsj.com/articles/railroads-strike-a-25-billion-merger-11616330332|url-status=live}}</ref> On May 21, CN and KCS agreed to merge, but lengthy regulatory approvals are required to put it into effect.<ref>{{cite news|date=2021-05-21|title=CN to combine with Kansas City Southern|language=en|work=BusinessWire|url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210521005364/en/CN-to-Combine-With-Kansas-City-Southern|access-date=June 16, 2021|archive-date=April 19, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230419021107/https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210521005364/en/CN-to-Combine-With-Kansas-City-Southern|url-status=live}}</ref> However, on August 31, the US [[Surface Transportation Board]] (STB) denied a voting trust between CN and KCS.<ref>{{cite web|last=Stephens|first=Bill|date=31 August 2021|title=Federal regulators reject CN plan to put KCS in voting trust|url=https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/federal-regulators-reject-cn-plan-to-put-kcs-in-voting-trust/|url-status=live|website=[[Trains (magazine)|Trains]]|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831183617/https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/federal-regulators-reject-cn-plan-to-put-kcs-in-voting-trust/ |archive-date=August 31, 2021 }}</ref> With the decision by the STB, KCS re-engaged with CP on CP's original offer.<ref>{{cite web|last=Stephens|first=Bill|date=4 September 2021|title=Kansas City Southern moves toward a merger agreement with Canadian Pacific|url=https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/kansas-city-southern-moves-toward-a-merger-agreement-with-canadian-pacific/|url-status=live|website=[[Trains (magazine)|Trains]]|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904164725/https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/kansas-city-southern-moves-toward-a-merger-agreement-with-canadian-pacific/ |archive-date=September 4, 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Vantuono|first=William C.|date=4 September 2021|title=CP, KCS rekindle relationship|url=https://www.railwayage.com/freight/class-i/cp-kcs-rekindle-relationship/|url-status=live|website=[[Railway Age]]|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904223815/https://www.railwayage.com/freight/class-i/cp-kcs-rekindle-relationship/ |archive-date=September 4, 2021 }}</ref> The merger between the Kansas City Southern and Canadian Pacific Railway was ultimately approved on March 15, 2023, and the two railroads merged on April 14, 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Franz |first=Justin |date=2023-03-15 |title=LIVE UPDATES: Regulators Approve CP-KCS Merger |url=https://railfan.com/breaking-regulators-approve-cp-kcs-merger/ |access-date=2023-03-15 |website=Railfan & Railroad Magazine |language=en-CA |archive-date=March 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230321232219/https://railfan.com/breaking-regulators-approve-cp-kcs-merger/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Regulators approve Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger (updated) |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/regulators-approve-canadian-pacific-kansas-city-southern-merger/ |access-date=2023-03-15 |website=Trains |date=March 15, 2023 |language=en-US |archive-date=July 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230716135031/https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/regulators-approve-canadian-pacific-kansas-city-southern-merger/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

After losing the battle against CP for the purchase of KCS, in hearings before the STB for the CP-KCS merger, CN filed a plan to acquire the KCS line linking Kansas City with [[Springfield, Illinois|Springfield, IL]], [[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louis, MO]] and [[East St. Louis, Illinois|East St. Louis, IL]], the former [[Gateway Western Railway|Gateway Western]], tie it to its former IC Gilman Subdivision, and thus create a new corridor between Kansas City and St. Louis with [[Michigan]] and Eastern Canada, bypassing Chicago, and which, according to the plan presented by CN, divert 80,000 long haul-truck shipments to rail annually.<ref name="Stephens">{{Cite news |last=Stephens |first=Bill |date=February 23, 2022 |title=Canadian National details KCS Springfield Line improvement plans, traffic projections |language=en-US |work=[[Trains (magazine)|Trains]] |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/canadian-national-details-kcs-springfield-line-improvement-plans-traffic-projections/ |access-date=June 3, 2024 |archive-date=June 3, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240603172853/https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/canadian-national-details-kcs-springfield-line-improvement-plans-traffic-projections/ |url-status=live }}</ref> A few months later, CN resigned its intentions to purchase the Springfield Line in order to try to obtain trackage rights on the line, always with the same intention of creating the corridor proposed in the original plan to purchase the line filed with the STB.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Stephens |first=Bill |date=October 24, 2022 |title=CN would accept trackage rights as alternative to divestiture of KCS Springfield Line (updated) |language=en-US |work=[[Trains (magazine)|Trains]] |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/canadian-national-details-kcs-springfield-line-improvement-plans-traffic-projections/ |access-date=June 3, 2024 |archive-date=August 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240816164839/https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/canadian-national-details-kcs-springfield-line-improvement-plans-traffic-projections/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Both the initial plan to purchase the line and the subsequent plan to acquire trackage rights included the execution of corridor improvement works, valued at more than US$250 million.<ref name="Stephens"/> The STB would ultimately reject plans submitted by CN to operate on the Springfield Line.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Luczak |first=Marybeth |date=March 24, 2023 |title=STB Rejects CN's Springfield Line Bid |language=en-US |work=[[Railway Age]] |url=https://www.railwayage.com/regulatory/stb-rejects-cns-springfield-line-bid/ |access-date=June 3, 2024 |archive-date=June 5, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240605172237/https://www.railwayage.com/regulatory/stb-rejects-cns-springfield-line-bid/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Due to a failure to reach an agreement with the [[Teamsters Canada]] Rail Conference Canadian National's Canadian operations, along with those of CPKC, [[2024 Canada railroad shutdown|shut down from August 22, 2024]] as the companies engaged in a [[Lockout (industry)|lockout]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/22/world/canada/canada-freight-trains.html |title=Labor Dispute Halts Rail Freight in Canada, Raising Supply Chain Concerns |date=August 21, 2024 |last=Austen |first=Ian |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=August 21, 2024 |archive-date=August 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240822045509/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/22/world/canada/canada-freight-trains.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In December 2023, CN set to acquire the [[Iowa Northern Railway]] (IANR) with the proposition to be reviewed by the [[Surface Transportation Board]] (STB).<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 6, 2023 |title=Canadian National to acquire Iowa Northern Railway |work=Trains |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/canadian-national-to-acquire-iowa-northern-railway/ |access-date=December 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207203902/https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/canadian-national-to-acquire-iowa-northern-railway/ |archive-date=December 7, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Limmer |first=Dennis |date=December 7, 2023 |title=CN Buys Iowa Northern Railway, Boosts Network |work=RetailWire |url=https://retailwire.com/cn-buys-iowa-northern-railway-boosts-network/ |access-date=December 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231208053527/https://retailwire.com/cn-buys-iowa-northern-railway-boosts-network/ |archive-date=December 8, 2023}}</ref> On January 14, 2025, the STB approved the CN acquisition of the Iowa Northern Railway.<ref name="trains.com"/>

==CN today==
[[File:Cntrain7331.JPG|thumb|CN train at East Junction, Edmonton, 2006]]Since the company operates in two countries, CN maintains some corporate distinction by having its U.S. lines incorporated under the [[Delaware General Corporation Law|Delaware-domiciled]] [[Grand Trunk Corporation]] for legal purposes;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aar.org/PubCommon/Documents/AboutTheIndustry/RRProfile_GTW.pdf |title=GRAND TRUNK CORPORATION – 2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040726093549/http://www.aar.org/PubCommon/Documents/AboutTheIndustry/RRProfile_GTW.pdf |archive-date=July 26, 2004 |url-status=dead |publisher=Association of American Railroads |website=www.aar.org}}</ref> however, the entire company in both Canada and the U.S. operates under '''CN''', as can be seen in its locomotive and rail car repainting programs.

Since the Illinois Central purchase in 1998, CN has been increasingly focused on running a "scheduled freight railroad/railway". This has resulted in improved shipper relations, as well as reduced the need for maintaining pools of surplus locomotives and freight cars. CN has also undertaken a rationalization of its existing track network by removing double track sections in some areas and extending passing sidings in other areas.

CN is also a rail industry leader in the employment of radio-control (R/C) for switching locomotives in yards, resulting in reductions to the number of yard workers required.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Transportation Safety Board of Canada |date=2017-12-22 |title=Rail transportation safety investigation report R17W0267 - Transportation Safety Board of Canada |url=https://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/rail/2017/r17w0267/r17w0267.html |access-date=2025-10-13 |website=www.tsb.gc.ca}}</ref> CN has frequently been touted in recent years within North American rail industry circles as being the ''most-improved railroad'' in terms of productivity and the lowering of its [[operating ratio]], acknowledging the fact the company is becoming increasingly profitable.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vantuono |first=William C. |date=2010-10-26 |title=CN posts industry-low operating ratio of 60.7% |url=https://www.railwayage.com/news/cn-posts-industry-low-operating-ratio-of-607/ |access-date=2025-10-13 |website=Railway Age |language=en-US}}</ref> Due to the rising popularity of [[ethanol]], [[shuttle train]]s, and mineral commodities, CN Rail Service is increasing in popularity.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ready to Support the Expansion of Ethanol Consumption {{!}}cn.ca |url=https://www.cn.ca/en/stories/20230111-expansion-ethanol-consumption/ |access-date=2025-10-13 |website=www.cn.ca |language=en}}</ref><ref>https://www.annualreports.com/HostedData/AnnualReportArchive/c/TSX_CNR.TO_2006.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=November 2025}}</ref>

In 2011, the company was added to the [[Dow Jones Sustainability Indices|Dow Jones Sustainability World Index]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://markets.ft.com/data/announce/detail?dockey=1330-9036076en-09C2UNAVIUNRJKVAFHSU9V743B |title=CN's Sustainability Leadership Recognized through Key ESG Rankings |date=February 12, 2024 |publisher=GlobeNewswire |access-date=August 16, 2024 |work=Financial Times |language=en |archive-date=June 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240624091852/https://markets.ft.com/data/announce/detail?dockey=1330-9036076en-09C2UNAVIUNRJKVAFHSU9V743B |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Projects===
In April 2012 a plan was announced to build an {{convert|800|km}} railway that would run north from [[Sept-Îles, Quebec]]; the railway would support mining and other resource extraction in the [[Labrador Trough]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.railwaygazette.com/nc/news/single-view/view/railway-could-tap-quebecs-northern-wealth.html|access-date=23 April 2012|title=Railway Gazette: Railway could tap Quebec's northern wealth|work=[[Railway Gazette International]]|archive-date=August 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807002205/https://www.railwaygazette.com/nc/news/single-view/view/railway-could-tap-quebecs-northern-wealth.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In September 2012, CN announced the trial of locomotives fuelled by [[natural gas]] as a potential alternative to conventional diesel fuel. Two [[EMD SD40]] diesel-electric locomotives fuelled with 90% natural gas and 10% diesel were tested in service between [[Edmonton]] and [[Fort McMurray, Alberta]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cn.ca/en/media-news-cn-tests-natural-gas-locomotives-20120927.htm|access-date=29 September 2012|title=CN tests natural gas/diesel fuel powered locomotives between Edmonton and Fort McMurray, Alta.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105204313/http://www.cn.ca/en/media-news-cn-tests-natural-gas-locomotives-20120927.htm|archive-date=November 5, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Controversies===
====Accidents====
*in 1986 near Dalehurst, Alberta, a [[Hinton train collision|CN westbound freight slammed into a Via Rail eastbound]], killing 23 and injuring 71. The wreck was caused due to multiple factors caused by CN.
*In December 1999 the ''Ultratrain'', a petroleum products unit train linking the Levis (Quebec) [[Ultramar]] oil refinery with a petroleum depot in Montreal, derailed into the path of an oncoming freight train, travelling in the opposite direction between [[Sainte-Madeleine, Quebec|Sainte-Madeleine]] and [[Saint-Hilaire, Quebec|Saint-Hilaire-Est]], south of Montreal. The two crew members on the freight train were killed in the ensuing explosion (the crew's last words were "you guys are derailed, we're hitting you!"). The Ultratrain derailed at a broken rail caused by a defective weld that was not fixed in time, despite being repeatedly reported by train crews; the report by the [[Transportation Safety Board of Canada]] called into question CN's quality assurance program for rail welds as well as the lack of detection equipment for defective wheels. In memory of the dead crewmen, two new stations on the line have been named after them (Davis and Thériault).
*On May 14, 2003, a trestle collapsed under the weight of a freight train near [[McBride, British Columbia]], killing both crew members. Both men had been disciplined earlier for refusing to take another train on the same bridge, claiming it was unsafe. It was revealed that as far back as 1999, several bridge components had been reported as rotten, yet no repairs had been ordered by management.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/rail/2003/r03v0083/r03v0083_index.asp |title=Transportation Safety Board of Canada &#124; Rail |publisher=Tsb.gc.ca |date=July 31, 2008 |access-date=May 15, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307103836/http://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/rail/2003/r03v0083/r03v0083_index.asp |archive-date=March 7, 2012}}</ref> Eventually, the disciplinary records of both crewmen were amended posthumously.
*Two CN trains collided on August 4, 2007, on the banks of the [[Fraser River]] near [[Prince George, British Columbia]]. Several cars carrying gasoline, diesel and lumber burst into flames. Water bombers were used to help put out the fires. Some fuel had seeped into the Fraser River.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/cn-prince-george-fire-under-control-1.641781| title=CN Prince George fire under control| publisher=[[CBC News]]| date=August 4, 2007| access-date=October 12, 2009| archive-date=January 16, 2021| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116071313/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/cn-prince-george-fire-under-control-1.641781| url-status=live}}</ref>

====Derailments====
*On May 27, 2002, a CN train derailed at 12:30&nbsp;p.m. north of Vermontville Highway in [[Potterville, Michigan]]. The train was hauling a total of 58 cars. Thirty-five of the cars derailed and 11 of them contained hazmat material. Nine were carrying propane and two cars carried [[sulfuric acid]]. Two of the propane tankers were leaking and a third was suspected of leaking. Each propane car contains 34,000 gallons of propane gas which is considered an extreme fire and explosive hazard. An evacuation of Potterville was declared. CN along with other agencies worked throughout the week to clean the area.
*A second CN train derailment in Potterville, Michigan, occurred in May 2006, though no evacuation was necessary. The cause of this derailment was found to be a failed wheel bearing on the 82nd car.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/columnists/tom-greenwood/2015/11/19/building-bridges-just-fraction-time/76084692/|title=Building bridges in just a fraction of time|work=Detroit News|access-date=2017-04-07|language=en|archive-date=April 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170407144524/http://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/columnists/tom-greenwood/2015/11/19/building-bridges-just-fraction-time/76084692/|url-status=live}}</ref>
*About 9:04&nbsp;am central standard time on February 9, 2003, northbound CN freight train M33371 derailed 22 of its 108 cars in [[Tamaroa, Illinois]]. Four of the derailed cars released methanol, and the methanol from two of these four cars fueled a fire. Other derailed cars contained [[phosphoric acid]], [[hydrochloric acid]], [[formaldehyde]], and [[vinyl chloride]]. Two cars containing hydrochloric acid, one car containing formaldehyde, and one car containing vinyl chloride released product but were not involved in the fire. About 850 residents were evacuated from the area within a {{convert|3|mi|km|adj=on}} radius of the derailment, which included the entire village of Tamaroa. Improper placement of bond wire welds on the head of the rail just outside the joint bars, where untempered martensite associated with the welds led to fatigue and subsequent cracking that, because of increased stresses associated with known soft ballast conditions, rapidly progressed to rail failure.
*On August 5, 2005, in the [[Cheakamus River derailment]], a CN train had nine cars derail on a bridge over the [[Cheakamus River]], causing {{convert|41000|L|USgal}} of [[caustic soda]] to spill into the river, killing thousands of fish by caustic burns and asphyxiation. The CBC reported environmental experts say it would take the river 50 years or more to recover from the toxic pollution.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/spill-recovery-could-take-decades-1.614257 |title= Spill recovery could take decades |access-date= January 15, 2007 |publisher= [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] |date= February 7, 2006 |archive-date= October 6, 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211006153752/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/spill-recovery-could-take-decades-1.614257 |url-status= live }}</ref> CN is facing accusations from local [[British Columbia]]ns over the railway's supposed lack of response to this issue, touted as the worst chemical spill in British Columbia's history.
*A derailment at [[Moran, British Columbia|Moran]], {{convert|20|mi}} north of [[Lillooet, British Columbia|Lillooet]], on June 30, 2006, has raised more questions about CN's safety policies. Two more derailments near [[Lytton, British Columbia|Lytton]] in August 2006 have continued criticism. In the first case, 20 coal cars of a CPR train using a CN bridge derailed, dumping 12 cars of coal into the [[Thompson River]]. In the second case half a dozen grain cars spilled on a CN train.
*On June 19, 2009, a CN freight train derailed at a highway/rail grade crossing in [[Cherry Valley, Illinois]] (near [[Rockford, Illinois|Rockford]]). The train consisted of two locomotives and 114 cars, 19 of which derailed. All of the derailed cars were tank cars carrying denatured fuel ethanol, a flammable liquid, and thirteen were breached or lost product and caught fire. As a result of the fire that erupted after the derailment, a passenger in a car stopped at the crossing was fatally injured, two passengers in the same car received serious injuries, and five occupants of other cars waiting at the highway/rail crossing were injured. Two responding firefighters also sustained minor injuries. The release of ethanol and the resulting fire prompted a mandatory evacuation of about 600 residences within a {{convert|0.5|mi|adj=on}} radius of the accident site. Monetary damages were estimated to total $7.9 million. The probable cause of the accident was the washout of the track structure that was discovered about 1 hour before the train's arrival, and CN's failure to notify the train crew of the known washout in time to stop the train. Contributing factors were CN's failure to work with [[Winnebago County, Illinois|Winnebago County]] to develop a comprehensive storm water management plan to address previous washouts, CN's failure to issue the flash flood warning to the train crew, and the inadequate design of the train's [[DOT-111]] [[tank car]]s.

====Disputes====
*In March 2004 a strike by the [[Canadian Auto Workers]] union showed deep-rooted divisions between [[Labor union|organized labour]] and the company's current management.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ioanes |first=Ellen |date=2024-08-22 |title=Canada's railway lockout saga, briefly explained |url=https://www.vox.com/policy/368276/canada-rail-train-shipping-teamsters-trudeau-strike-lockout |access-date=2025-10-13 |website=Vox |language=en-US}}</ref>
*In October 2013 the James Street bridge between [[Thunder Bay]] and [[Fort William First Nation]] was subject to an act of arson causing great structural damage to the bridge.<ref>{{cite news|title=Bridge blaze|url=http://www.tbnewswatch.com/news/305841/Bridge-blaze|access-date=17 July 2014|agency=TBNewsWatch|date=29 October 2013|ref=18|archive-date=August 16, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240816164726/https://www.tbnewswatch.com/local-news/bridge-blaze-395877|url-status=live}}</ref> The bridge was the most direct route between Thunder Bay and Fort William First Nation reserve and was used by foot traffic, vehicular traffic, and rail traffic. The matter of who is responsible for the maintenance and repair of the bridge is subject to great controversy between the City of Thunder Bay and CN due to an agreement dating back to 1906 between the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway Company (later incorporated as CNR along with other railways) and the City of Fort William (later merged with the [[Port Arthur, Ontario|City of Port Arthur]] into the City of Thunder Bay). The 1906 Agreement states that "The Company will give the Municipal Corporation the perpetual right to cross said bridge for&nbsp;... vehicle and foot traffic" and that "The Company will maintain the bridge in perpetuity without cost to the Town&nbsp;...".<ref>{{cite web|title=1906 Agreement|url=http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1217800-2.html|access-date=17 July 2014|ref=19}}</ref> After the fire, CN made repairs to the bridge for use of its rail system but did not repair the damage to the vehicle lanes which render it unsafe for vehicle use.<ref>{{cite news|title=James Street bridge remains closed|url=http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1217800-2.html|access-date=17 July 2014|publisher=NetnewsLedger.com|date=22 February 2014|ref=20|archive-date=July 18, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140718125319/http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1217800-2.html|url-status=live}}</ref> CN maintains that the 1906 Agreement does not speak to replacement of the bridge while the position of the City of Thunder Bay is that CN is solely responsible for making the necessary repairs to restore function to the vehicle lanes of the bridge.<ref>{{cite news|title=CN Rail Sets Deadline to Thunder Bay on Bridge|url=http://www.netnewsledger.com/2014/07/16/cn-rail-sets-deadline-to-thunder-bay-on-bridge|access-date=17 July 2014|publisher=NetNewsLedger.com|date=16 July 2014|ref=21|archive-date=August 16, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240816164731/https://www.netnewsledger.com/2014/07/16/cn-rail-sets-deadline-to-thunder-bay-on-bridge/|url-status=live}}</ref>
*At 12:01&nbsp;a.m. on August 22, 2024, CN shut its operations and locked out thousands of [[Teamsters Canada]] union members.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Isidore |first=Chris |date=2024-08-22 |title=Canadian freight railroads shut down, dealing a potential blow to North America's economy {{!}} CNN Business |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/22/business/canadian-railroad-shut-down-hnk-intl/index.html |access-date=2024-08-22 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref>  The lockout, however, lasted for less than a full day: By the afternoon of August 22, the Canadian government ordered CN to end the lockout and to arbitrate with its labour union.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-08-22 |title=Canada forces arbitration in freight train labor dispute, averting economic crisis |url=https://apnews.com/article/canada-railroads-cpkc-csx-5b9290b47ad6cdb439735c10560602d3 |access-date=2024-08-22 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref>

====Other incidents====
*Controversy arose again in Canadian political circles in 2003 following the company's decision to refer solely to its acronym "CN" and not "Canadian National", a move some interpret as being an attempt to distance the company from references to "Canada". Canada's Minister of Transport at the time called this policy move "obscene"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.brandchannel.com/features_effect.asp?pf_id=179 |title=Country of Origin &#124; Brand Identity |publisher=brandchannel.com |access-date=May 15, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120819095430/http://www.brandchannel.com/features_effect.asp?pf_id=179 |archive-date=August 19, 2012}}</ref> after nationalists noted it could be argued the company is no longer Canadian, being primarily owned by American stockholders. The controversy is somewhat tempered by the fact a majority of large corporations are being increasingly referred to by acronyms.{{According to whom|date=October 2025}}
[[File:cn7402.JPG|thumb|The "CN North America" logo that was used from 1993 to 1995, before the plain "CN" logo was reinstated]]
*The residents of [[Wabamun Lake]], in [[Alberta]], staged a blockade of CN tracks in August 2005, when they were unsatisfied with the railway's response to a derailment catastrophe that spilled over 700,000 Litres of tarry fuel oil and about 80,000 L of carcinogenic pole treatment oil into the lake. Reporters found pre-spill evidence. CN executives admitted CN failed to provide public safety information to prevent public exposure to carcinogenic, toxic chemicals. The tar-like oil and chemicals killed over 500 large migratory birds, animals, fish and other aquatic life.
*In the years following CN's 1998 acquisition of Illinois Central, the company has come under scrutiny for illicit practices that allegedly cause the delay of [[Amtrak]] schedules. In 2012, Amtrak filed a formal complaint against CN with the [[Surface Transportation Board]], stating that the prioritization of freight traffic over passenger traffic was commonplace on Amtrak routes operating on CN lines. The complaint cited over 4,000 delays during fiscal year 2011 on the route between [[Chicago Union Station|Chicago]] and [[Carbondale (Amtrak station)|Carbondale]], totaling over 26 days of net wasted schedule time; it also reported 99% of delays between Chicago and [[New Orleans (Amtrak station)|New Orleans]] on the ''[[City of New Orleans (train)|City of New Orleans route]]'' were caused by CN dispatching issues.<ref>{{cite web|title = Amtrak files long-overdue complaint over CN delays|url = https://www.chicagotribune.com/2012/02/13/amtrak-files-long-overdue-complaint-over-cn-delays/|website = Chicago Tribune|date = February 13, 2012|access-date = 2015-12-04|archive-date = December 8, 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151208172616/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-02-13/classified/ct-met-getting-around-0213-20120213_1_amtrak-spokesman-marc-magliari-amtrak-train-amtrak-records-show|url-status = live}}</ref> In 2018, Amtrak began issuing public report cards, grading the impact of freight railroads on passenger train performance. CN received the lowest-possible grade of "F" on the first card issued in March 2018.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.freightwaves.com/news/amtrak-report-card-freight-railroads|title=Amtrak's initial report card on freight railroads ranges from A to a pair of F's|last=Kingston|first=John|date=2018-03-26|work=FreightWaves|access-date=2018-07-30|language=en-US|archive-date=July 30, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180730110258/https://www.freightwaves.com/news/amtrak-report-card-freight-railroads|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Offences ====
*On June 15, 2017, CN pleaded guilty in the [[Provincial Court of Alberta]] to one offence under the [[Fisheries Act (Canada)|Fisheries Act]] and three offences under the [[Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999|Canadian Environmental Protection Act]]. It was fined $2.5 million for being non-compliant with a number of requirements under the Storage Tank Systems for Petroleum and Allied Petroleum Products Regulations, which caused an estimated 90 litres of diesel to be released into Edmonton's storm sewer.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2017-11-21 |title=Canadian National Railway Company to pay over $2.5 million for environmental offences |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/environmental-enforcement/notifications/national-railway-company-environmental-offences.html |access-date=2023-10-06 |website=www.canada.ca |archive-date=March 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326154036/https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/environmental-enforcement/notifications/national-railway-company-environmental-offences.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
*On September 15, 2021, CN pleaded guilty in Prince Rupert Provincial Court to a charge of violating the Fisheries Act and fined $2.5 million for spraying pesticides along its rail line, which runs along the [[Skeena River]] and over many tributaries and wetlands in British Columbia, which were found to be deleterious to fish.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2021-09-16 |title=Canadian National Railway Company fined $2.5 million for Fisheries Act offence |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/news/2021/09/canadian-national-railway-company-fined-25-million-for-fisheries-act-offence.html |access-date=2023-10-06 |website=www.canada.ca}}</ref>

== Non-rail subsidiaries ==

===CN Telegraph===
[[File:TrainStationInterior.jpg|thumb|Restored CN Telegraph counter on display at the [[Saskatchewan Railway Museum]]]] 
CN Telegraph originated as the Great North West Telegraph Company in 1880 to connect [[Ontario]] and [[Manitoba]] and became a subsidiary of [[Western Union]] in 1881. In 1915, facing bankruptcy, GNWTC was acquired by the [[Canadian Northern Railway]]'s telegraph company.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Telegraph|encyclopedia=The Canadian Encyclopedia|publisher=Historica-Dominica|url=http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/telegraph|access-date=June 18, 2013|archive-date=September 17, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130917013323/http://thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/telegraph|url-status=dead}}</ref> When Canadian Northern was nationalized in 1918 and amalgamated into Canadian National Railways in 1921, its telegraph arm was renamed the Canadian National Telegraph Company. CN Telegraphs began co-operating with its [[Canadian Pacific]]-owned rival [[CPR Telegraphs]] in the 1930s, sharing telegraph networks and co-founding a [[teleprinter]] system in 1957. In 1967 the two services were amalgamated into a joint venture [[CNCP Telecommunications]] which evolved into a telecoms company. CN sold its stake of the company to CP in 1984.

===CNR Radio===
{{Main|CNR Radio}}

In 1923 CNR's second president, [[Henry Thornton (railway manager)|Sir Henry Thornton]] who succeeded David Blyth Hanna (1919–1922), created the CNR Radio Department to provide passengers with entertainment radio reception and give the railway a competitive advantage over its rival, CP. This led to the creation of a network of CNR radio stations across the country, North America's first radio network. As anyone in the vicinity of a station could hear its broadcasts the network's audience extended far beyond train passengers to the public at large.

Claims of unfair competition from CP as well as pressure on the government to create a [[public broadcasting]] system similar to the [[British Broadcasting Corporation]] led the government of [[R. B. Bennett]] (who had been a corporate lawyer with Canadian Pacific as a client prior to entering politics) to pressure CNR into ending its on-train radio service in 1931 and then withdrawing from the radio business entirely in 1933. CNR's radio assets were sold for $50,000 to a new public broadcaster, the [[Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission]], which in turn became the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] in 1936.

===CN Hotels===
{{Main|Canadian National Hotels}}

Canadian railways built and operated [[Canada's grand railway hotels|their own resort hotels]], ostensibly to provide rail passengers travelling long distances a place to sleep overnight. These hotels became attractions in and of themselves – a place for a rail passenger to go for a holiday. As each [[railway company]] sought to be more attractive than its competitors, they made their hotels more attractive and luxurious.
[[Canadian National Hotels]] was the CNRs chain of hotels and was a combination of hotels inherited by the CNR when it acquired various railways and structures built by the CNR itself. The chain's principal rival was [[Canadian Pacific Hotels]].

===Canadian National Steamship Company===
[[File:House flag of Canadian National Steamships.svg|thumb|[[House flag]] of Canadian National Steamships]]
Canadian National operated a fleet of passenger and cargo vessels on both the [[British Columbia Coast|West Coast]] and East Coast of Canada which operated under a branch of the company known as Canadian National Steamships, later [[CN Marine]].

====West Coast====
[[File:Pasenger-ship-CNSS-Prince-R.jpg|thumb|The [[Steam turbine#Marine propulsion|turbine steamship]] ''Prince Robert'' berthed at [[Port Metro Vancouver|Vancouver, BC]]]]
[[File:HMCS Prince David 1942.jpg|thumb|{{HMCS|Prince David|F89|2}} as an [[Armed merchantman#Armed merchant cruisers|armed merchant cruiser]] in 1942]]
[[Swan Hunter]] and Wigham Richardson of [[Wallsend]], England, built {{SS|Prince George||2}} and {{SS|Prince Rupert||2}} for the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway in 1910.<ref name="LR32">{{cite book|url=http://www.plimsollshipdata.org/pdffile.php?name=32b0733.pdf|title=Lloyd's Register, Steamers & Motorships|publisher=[[Lloyd's Register]]|year=1932|location=London|access-date=3 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140104035157/http://www.plimsollshipdata.org/pdffile.php?name=32b0733.pdf|archive-date=January 4, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1930 [[Cammell Laird]] of [[Birkenhead]], England, built {{HMCS|Prince David|F89|2}}, ''Prince Henry'' and ''Prince Robert''.<ref name="LR32" /> ''Prince Henry'' was sold in 1937.<ref name="Shipslist">{{cite web|last1=Swiggum|first1=Sue|last2=Kohli|first2=Marj|date=28 February 2010|title=Canadian National Steamship Company|url=http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/cn.shtml|access-date=3 January 2014|work=The Ships List|archive-date=January 4, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140104082538/http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/cn.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Prince George'' was destroyed by fire in 1945. ''Prince David'' and ''Prince Robert'' were requisitioned in 1939 as [[Royal Canadian Navy]] [[armed merchant cruiser]]s, converted into [[Amphibious warfare ship|landing ships]] in 1943, and sold in 1948.<ref name="Shipslist" /> In 1948 a second ''Prince George'' was built by [[Yarrow Shipbuilders Limited|Yarrows Limited]], becoming CN's sole remaining Pacific Coast passenger liner. She was switched from scheduled routes to pleasure cruises, and was the last CN ship that served the west coast. After a fire in 1975 she was sold in 1976 (first to British Columbia Steamship Company and finally Wong Brother Enterprises)<ref name="Shipslist" /> before finally being sold to Chinese breakers in 1995 (and sank on her way to [[China]] in 1996 in [[Unimak Pass]]).<ref>{{cite web|title=Prince George, Canadian National Railways|url=http://www.cruiseshipodyssey.com/prgeorge.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316040235/http://www.cruiseshipodyssey.com/prgeorge.htm|archive-date=March 16, 2015|access-date=2014-09-17|website=cruiseshipodyssey.com}}</ref>

=====Former Canadian Northern Pacific ships=====
* {{SS|Canora}} was built in 1918 for the Canadian Northern Pacific's [[Patricia Bay]] to [[Port Mann]] route. In 1919 the ship became part of Canadian National.

=====Former Grand Trunk Pacific steamships=====
These ships served the Pacific coast with [[Grand Trunk Pacific Railway|GTP]] until Canadian National took possession of them in 1925:
*{{SS|Prince Rupert||2}} (1910–56)
*{{SS|Prince George||2}} (1910–45) – Caught fire and destroyed in 1945.
*''Prince Albert''
*''Prince John''

=====CN-built steamships for the West Coast=====
Ships specially built for CN for the [[British Columbia Coast|West Coast]]. After the [[World War II|Second World War]] steamship service had dropped and by the 1950s the ships were withdrawn. ''Prince George'' (II) stayed in service, but to do cruises on the West Coast. By 1975 ''Prince George'' (II) was retired, ending CN's steamship era on the West Coast.
* {{HMCS|Prince Henry||2}}
* {{HMCS|Prince David||2}}
* {{HMCS|Prince Robert||2}}
* ''Prince Charles''
* ''Prince William''
* {{SS|Prince George|1947|2}} (II) (1948–1975) – Built and replaced the first ''Prince George'' after it caught fire in 1945. ''Prince George'' (II) was the last ship that served the west coast for CN.

====East Coast====
In 1928–29 [[Cammell Laird]] built a set of five ships for CN<ref name="LR32" /> to carry mail, passengers and freight between [[eastern Canada]] and the [[Caribbean]] via [[Bermuda]]. Each ship was named after the wife of an English or British admiral who was noted for his actions in the Caribbean,<ref name="EveningPost">{{cite news|date=26 March 1938|title="Lady" Liners Sail to West Indies|volume=CXXV|page=27|newspaper=[[The Evening Post (New Zealand)|The Evening Post]]|publisher=[[National Library of New Zealand]]|issue=72|location=[[Wellington]]|url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP19380326.2.187.11&srpos=2&e=-------10--1----0%22Lady+Hawkins%22--|access-date=3 January 2014}}</ref> and who had been knighted or ennobled.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.plimsollshipdata.org/pdffile.php?name=31b0693.pdf|title=Lloyd's Register, Steamers & Motorships|publisher=[[Lloyd's Register]]|year=1931|location=London|access-date=3 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140104034946/http://www.plimsollshipdata.org/pdffile.php?name=31b0693.pdf|archive-date=January 4, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> They were therefore nicknamed the ''Lady''-liners<ref name="EveningPost" /> or ''Lady''-boats.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hannington|first=Felicity|title=The Lady Boats: The Life and Times of Canada's West Indies Merchant Fleet|publisher=Canadian Marine Transportation Centre, [[Dalhousie University]]|year=1980|isbn=0770301894|location=Halifax, NS}}</ref> {{RMS|Lady Nelson||2}} along with {{RMS|Lady Hawkins||2}} and {{RMS|Lady Drake||2}} were designed for service to the eastern islands of the [[British West Indies]] and had larger passenger capacity but lesser cargo capacity than {{RMS|Lady Rodney||2}} and {{RMS|Lady Somers||2}} who were built for service to western islands.<ref>Hannington, p. 16</ref> In the Second World War ''Lady Somers'' was requisitioned as an [[ocean boarding vessel]] while her four sister ships continued in CN service. The {{ship|Italian submarine|Morosini||6}} sank Lady Somers in 1941. {{RMS|Lady Hawkins||2}} and ''Lady Drake'' were sunk by [[U-boat|German U-boats]] in 1942. [[RMS Lady Nelson|''Lady Nelson'']] was torpedoed in 1942 but refloated and converted to a hospital ship, while ''Lady Rodney'' survived the war unscathed. The two surviving Lady Boats, Nelson and Rodney, were sold in 1952 after declining passenger traffic and rising labour costs made them too expensive to run.<ref name="Shipslist" />

====Cargo ships====
In 1928 CN took over most of the fleet of Canadian Government Merchant Marine Ltd, giving it a fleet of about 45 [[cargo ship]]s. When [[Second Armistice at Compiègne|France surrendered to Germany in June 1940]] the Canadian Government seized [[Compagnie Générale Transatlantique|CGT's]] MV ''Maurienne'' and contracted CN to manage her.<ref name="Shipslist" />

===Aquatrain===
{{main|Aquatrain}}

CN operated a [[rail barge]] service between [[Prince Rupert, British Columbia]], to [[Whittier, Alaska]], from 1963 to 2021.<ref name="alaskarails.org">{{cite web|title=Alaska Railroad Industries AquaTrain|url=http://alaskarails.org/industries/aquatrain.html|access-date=2019-11-09|publisher=Alaskarails.org|archive-date=September 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180901195312/http://www.alaskarails.org/industries/aquatrain.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Corporate governance==
In May 2025, Shauneen Bruder became the chair of the CNR board.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CN Announces Election of Directors {{!}} cn.ca |url=https://www.cn.ca/en/news/2025/05/cn-announces-election-of-directors/ |access-date=2025-10-13 |website=www.cn.ca |language=en}}</ref> The other board members are [[Donald J. Carty]], [[Maureen Kempston Darkes|V. Maureen Kempston Darkes]], [[Gordon D. Giffin]], Edith E. Holiday, Luc Jobin, [[Denis Losier]], [[Kevin G. Lynch]], James E. O'Connor, [[Robert L. Phillips]], and Laura Stein.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cn.ca/en/delivering-responsibly/governance/board-and-its-committees |title=The Board and Its Committees |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160705121305/https://www.cn.ca/en/delivering-responsibly/governance/board-and-its-committees |archive-date=July 5, 2016 |url-status=dead |publisher=Canadian National Railway Company |website=www.cn.ca |access-date=21 August 2016}}</ref>

===Heads of the corporation===
{{div col|colwidth=30em|content=
* [[David Blyth Hanna|David B. Hanna]] 1919–1922 as president
* [[Henry Worth Thornton|Sir Henry W. Thornton]] 1922–1932 as chair and president
* [[Samuel J. Hungerford]] 1932–1941 as president and 1936–1942 as chair
* [[Robert Charles Vaughan (railway executive)|Robert C. Vaughan]] 1941–1949 as president and 1942–1949 as chair
* [[Donald Gordon (Canadian businessman)|Donald Gordon]] 1950–1966 as chair and president
* [[Norman John MacMillan|Norman J. MacMillan]] 1967–1974 as chair and president
* Pierre Taschereau 1974–1977 as chair
* [[Robert Bandeen|Robert A. Bandeen]] 1974–1982 as president
* [[Jacques Dextraze|Jacques A. Dextrase]] 1977–1982 as chair
* [[Maurice Leclair|J. Maurice LeClair]] 1982–1985 as president and chief executive officer and 1985–1986 as chair and chief executive officer
* [[Jack Horner (politician)|Jack H. Horner]] 1982–1984 as chair
* [[Bettie Hewes]] 1984–1985 as chair
* Ronald E. Lawless 1985–1987 as president and 1987–1992 as president and chief executive officer
* Brian O'Neill Gallery 1987–1989 as chair
* [[Brian Smith (Canadian politician)|Brian R. D. Smith]] 1989–1994 as chair
* [[David G. A. McLean]] 1994–2014 as chair
* [[Paul Tellier|Paul M. Tellier]] 1992–2002 as president and chief executive officer
* [[E. Hunter Harrison]] 2003–2009 as president and chief executive officer
* [[Claude Mongeau]] 2010–2016 as president and chief executive officer
* Robert Pace 2014– as chair
* Luc Jobin 2016–2018 as president and chief executive officer;<ref>{{cite web|title=Historical Heads of CN|url=http://www.cn.ca/en/paga/historical-heads-of-cn|website=CN.ca|publisher=Canadian National Railway Company|access-date=16 August 2016}}</ref> stepped down 2018-Mar-05, interim CEO Jean-Jacques Ruest<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/canadian-national-luc-jobin-1.4562360 |title=CN Rail ousts CEO Luc Jobin |website=[[CBC.ca]] |agency=[[The Canadian Press]] |access-date=March 6, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180306130905/http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/canadian-national-luc-jobin-1.4562360 |archive-date=March 6, 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* Jean-Jacques Ruest as president and chief executive officer<ref>{{cite web|title=CN Board appoints Jean-Jacques Ruest President and CEO|url=https://www.cn.ca/en/news/2018/07/cn-board-appoints-jean-jacques-ruest-president-and-ceo/|access-date=28 July 2018|archive-date=July 29, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180729013303/https://www.cn.ca/en/news/2018/07/cn-board-appoints-jean-jacques-ruest-president-and-ceo/|url-status=live}}</ref> July 2018 – February 2022
* [[Tracy A. Robinson]] as president and CEO February 28, 2022 – 
}}

Thornton and Harrison were the only non-Canadians to head CN.{{According to whom|date=June 2024}}

=== 1900s ===
From 1919 to 1995, CN was also the responsibility of the relevant federal cabinet minister as a Crown Corporation:

* 1919–1936 – [[Minister of Transport (Canada)#Minister of Railways and Canals (1879-1936)|Minister of Railways and Canals]]
* 1936–present – [[Minister of Transport (Canada)#Minister of Transport (1936-present)|Minister of Transport]]

=== 2000s ===
[[Claude Mongeau]] was president and CEO from 2010 to 2016, previously serving as CFO for almost a decade. His tenure was marked by early praise from leadership for his working on the tracks for several months alongside the company's railroaders.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2009-04-21 |title=CN's new CEO 'not just a numbers guy' |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/cns-new-ceo-not-just-a-numbers-guy/article4193379/ |access-date=2024-07-15 |work=The Globe and Mail |language=en-CA |archive-date=August 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240816165304/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/cns-new-ceo-not-just-a-numbers-guy/article4193379/ |url-status=live }}</ref> He was also credited with implementing [[precision railroading]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Norfolk Southern names Claude Mongeau chair of the board of directors |url=https://norfolksouthern.mediaroom.com/2024-05-28-Norfolk-Southern-names-Claude-Mongeau-chair-of-the-board-of-directors |access-date=2024-07-15 |website=Norfolk Southern Newsroom |language=en |archive-date=July 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240715211444/https://norfolksouthern.mediaroom.com/2024-05-28-Norfolk-Southern-names-Claude-Mongeau-chair-of-the-board-of-directors |url-status=live }}</ref>

However, mainline derailments increased in the middle of his tenure, resulting in his bonus being capped. Operating ratio also declined during his time as CEO.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2015-03-25 |title=CN caps CEO's bonus because of rise in train derailments, injuries |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/management/executive-compensation/cn-rail-caps-ceos-bonus-due-to-rise-in-train-derailments-employee-injuries/article23621375/ |access-date=2024-07-15 |work=The Globe and Mail |language=en-CA}}</ref> He resigned in 2016 after being diagnosed with throat cancer, and the board appointed Luc Jobin to replace him.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2016-06-07 |title=CN Rail chief executive Claude Mongeau resigns |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-cn-rail-moves-ceo-idUSKCN0YT1BC/ |access-date=2024-07-15 |work=Reuters}}</ref>

During his tenure, Jobin joined the board of [[British American Tobacco]] in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |title=British American Tobacco - Luc Jobin |url=https://www.bat.com/who-we-are/our-leadership/main-board/luc-jobin |access-date=2024-07-15 |website=www.bat.com |archive-date=July 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240715212542/https://www.bat.com/who-we-are/our-leadership/main-board/luc-jobin |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2018, Jobin resigned "as the railway struggles through operational and customer service challenges," CBC wrote.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2018-03-05 |title=CN Rail ousts CEO Luc Jobin |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/canadian-national-luc-jobin-1.4562360 |access-date=2024-07-15 |work=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]] |archive-date=July 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240715212540/https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/canadian-national-luc-jobin-1.4562360 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Passenger trains==
===Early years===
When CNR was first created, it inherited a large number of routes from its constituent railways, but eventually pieced its passenger network into one coherent network. For example, on December 3, 1920, CNR inaugurated the ''Continental Limited'', which operated over four of its predecessors, as well as the [[Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway]]. The 1920s saw growth in passenger travel, and CNR inaugurated several new routes and introduced new services, such as radio, on its trains. However, the growth in passenger travel ended with the [[Great Depression]], which lasted between 1929 and 1939, but picked up somewhat in [[World War II]]. By the end of World War II, many of CNR's passenger cars were old and worn down. Accidents at [[Dugald rail accident|Dugald, Manitoba]], in 1947 and [[Canoe River train crash|Canoe River, British Columbia]], in 1950, wherein extra passenger trains composed of older, wooden equipment collided with transcontinental passenger trains composed of newer, all-steel equipment, demonstrated the dangers inherent in the older cars. In 1953, CNR ordered 359 lightweight passenger cars, allowing them to re-equip their major routes.

On April 24, 1955, the same day that the CPR introduced its transcontinental train ''[[The Canadian]]'', CNR introduced its own new transcontinental passenger train, the ''[[Super Continental]]'', which used new streamlined rolling stock. However, the ''Super Continental'' was never considered as glamorous as the ''Canadian''.{{According to whom|date=April 2022}} For example, it did not include [[dome car]]s. Dome cars would be added in the early 1960s with the purchase of six former [[Milwaukee Road]] "[[Super Dome (railcar)|Super Domes]]". They were used on the ''Super Continental'' in the summer tourist season.

===New services===
Rail passenger traffic in Canada declined significantly between World War II and 1960 due to automobiles and [[airplane]]s. In the 1960s CN's privately owned rival CPR reduced its passenger services significantly. However, the government-owned CN continued much of its passenger services and marketed new schemes. One, introduced on 5 April 1962, was the "Red, White and Blue" fare structure, which offered deep discounts on off-peak days ("red") and were credited with increasing passenger numbers on some routes as much as 600%. Another exercise was the rebranding of the express trains in the Ontario–Quebec corridor with the [[Rapido (train)|Rapido]] label.

In 1968, CN introduced a new high-speed train, the [[United Aircraft and Transport Corporation|United Aircraft]] [[Turbo (train)|Turbo]], which was powered by [[gas turbine]]s instead of [[diesel engine]]s. It made the trip between Toronto and Montreal in four hours, but was not entirely successful because it was somewhat uneconomical and not always reliable. The trainsets were retired in 1982 and later scrapped at Metrecy, in [[Laval, Quebec]].

On CN's [[narrow gauge]] lines in Newfoundland, CN also operated a main line passenger train that ran from [[St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador|St. John's]] to [[Channel-Port aux Basques|Port aux Basques]] called the ''[[Caribou (passenger train)|Caribou]]''. Nicknamed the ''Newfie Bullett'', this train ran until June 1969. It was replaced by the CN Roadcruiser Buses. The CN Roadcruiser service was started in fall 1968 and was run in direct competition with the company's own passenger train. Travellers saw that the buses could travel between St. John's and Port aux Basques in 14 hours versus the train's 22 hours. After the demise of the ''Caribou'', the only passenger train service run by CN on the island were the mixed (freight and passenger) trains that ran on the Bonavista, Carbonear and Argentia branch lines. The only passenger service surviving on the main line was between Bishop's Falls and [[Corner Brook]].

In 1976, CN created an entity called ''Via-CN'' as a separate operating unit for its passenger services. Via evolved into a coordinated marketing effort with CP Rail for rail passenger services, and later into a separate [[Crown corporations of Canada|Crown corporation]] responsible for inter-city passenger services in Canada. [[Via Rail]] took over CN's passenger services on April 1, 1978.

===Decline===
CN continued to fund its [[commuter rail]] services in Montreal until 1982, when the [[Société de transport de Montréal|Montreal Urban Community Transit Commission]] (MUCTC) assumed financial responsibility for them; operation was contracted out to CN, which eventually spun off a separate subsidiary, [[Montrain]], for this purpose. When the [[Deux-Montagnes line|Montreal–Deux-Montagnes]] line was completely rebuilt in 1994–1995, the new rolling stock came under the ownership of the [[Société de transport de Montréal|MUCTC]], until a separate government agency, the [[Réseau de transport métropolitain|Agence métropolitaine de transport]] (now AMT), was set up to consolidate all suburban transit administration around Montreal. Since then, [[Commuter rail in North America|suburban service]] has resumed to [[Mont-Saint-Hilaire line|Saint-Hilaire]], and a new line to [[Mascouche line|Mascouche]] opened in December 2014.

In Newfoundland, [[Terra Transport]] would continue to operate the [[mixed train]]s on the branch lines until 1984. The main line run between [[Corner Brook]] and [[Bishop's Falls]] made its last run on September 30, 1988. Terra Transport/CN would run the Roadcruiser bus service until March 29, 1996, whereupon the bus service was sold off to [[DRL Coachlines]] of Triton, Newfoundland.

===Expansion and service cuts===
[[File:Algoma Central Railway, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.jpg|thumb|CN operates the Agawa Canyon Tour excursion.]]

From the acquisition of the [[Algoma Central Railway]] in 2001 until service cancellation in July 2015, CN operated passenger service between [[Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario|Sault Ste. Marie]] and [[Hearst, Ontario]]. The passenger service operated three days per week and provided year-round access to remote tourist camps and resorts.

In January 2014, CN announced it was cutting the service, blaming the Government of Canada for cutting a subsidy necessary to keep the service running.<ref>{{cite web|title=CN to cut passenger service to Hearst|url=http://www.northernontariobusiness.com/Industry-News/transportation/2014/01/CN-to-cut-passenger-service-to-Hearst.aspx|publisher=Northern Ontario Business|access-date=January 28, 2014|archive-date=February 3, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203185110/http://www.northernontariobusiness.com/Industry-News/transportation/2014/01/CN-to-cut-passenger-service-to-Hearst.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> It was argued as an [[essential services|essential service]]; however, the service had always been deemed financially uneconomic, and despite an extension of funding in April 2014, Algoma Central service was suspended as of July 2015.

CN operates the [[Agawa Canyon]] Tour excursion, an excursion that runs from [[Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario]], north to the [[Agawa Canyon]]. The canyon tour train consists of up to 28 [[passenger car (rail)|passenger car]]s and 2 [[dining car]]s, the majority of which were built for CN by Canadian Car and Foundry in 1953–54. These cars were transferred to the [[D&RGW Ski Train]] and bought back by CN in 2009.

After CN acquired [[BC Rail]] in 2004, it started operating a [[railbus]] service between [[Seton Portage]] and [[Lillooet, British Columbia]] called the [[Kaoham Shuttle]].

CN crews used to operate commuter trains on behalf of [[GO Transit]] in the [[Toronto]] and the surrounding vicinity. This changed in 2008 when a deal was reached with [[Bombardier Transportation]] that switched all CN crews for Bombardier crews.<ref name="Bombardier deal">{{cite news |url=https://www.thestar.com/article/275022 |title= GO deal swaps CN crews with Bombardier personnel |work=Toronto Star |date=November 9, 2007 |access-date=September 13, 2011}}</ref>

==Locomotives==
[[File:Carl Bruner and Colleague 001a.jpg|thumb|CN coal fired steam engine 6064 with engineer Carl Bruner (right) and colleague]]

===Steam===
{{multiple image
| total_width       = 300
| image1            = Canadian National 2616.jpg
| alt1              = 
| link1             = 
| thumbtime1        = 
| caption1          = CN steam locomotive at Head Lake, [[Haliburton, Ontario]]
| image2            = CN 6167.jpg
| alt2              = 
| link2             = 
| thumbtime2        = 
| caption2          = CN 6167 at [[Guelph]], Ontario
}}

The CNR acquired its first [[4-8-4]] [[Confederation locomotive|''Confederation'' locomotives]] in 1927. Over the next 20 years, it ordered over 200 for passenger and heavy freight service. The CNR also used several [[4-8-2]] ''Mountain'' locomotives, almost exclusively for passenger service. No. 6060, a streamlined 4-8-2, was the last CN steam locomotive, running in excursion service in the 1970s. CNR also used several [[2-8-2]] ''Mikado'' locomotives.

===Electric===
[[File:CNR Electric LastElectricLocomotive 1995-07-06.jpg|thumb|left|First and last [[CN Boxcab Electric|CN electric locomotive]], 1918–1995]]
CN inherited from the [[Canadian Northern Railway]] several [[boxcab]] electrics used through the [[Mount Royal Tunnel]]. Those were built between 1914 and 1918 by [[General Electric]] in [[Schenectady, New York]]. To operate the new Montreal [[Central Station (Montreal)|Central Station]], which opened in 1943 and was to be kept free of locomotive smoke, they were supplemented by nearly identical locomotives from the [[National Harbours Board]]; those engines were built in 1924 by [[Beyer, Peacock & Company]] and [[English Electric]]. In 1950, three [[General Electric]] centre-cab electric locomotives were added to the fleet. In 1952 CN added [[CN electric multiple unit|electric multiple units]] built by [[Canadian Car and Foundry]].

Electrification was restricted to Montreal, and went from [[Montreal Central Station|Central Station]] to [[Saint-Lambert, Quebec|Saint-Lambert]] (south), [[Turcot Yard|Turcot]] (west), [[Montréal-Nord]] (east) and Saint-Eustache-sur-le-lac, later renamed [[Deux-Montagnes, Quebec|Deux-Montagnes]], (north). But as steam locomotives gave way to diesels, engine changeovers were no longer necessary, and catenary was eventually pulled from the west, east and from the south. However, until the end of the original electrification, CN's electric locomotives pulled [[Via Rail|Via Rail's]] trains, including its diesel electric locomotives, to and from Central Station.

The last 2,400 [[Volt|V]] [[Direct current|DC]] CN [[CN Boxcab Electric|electric locomotive]] ran on June 6, 1995, the very same locomotive that pulled the inaugural train through the [[Mount Royal Tunnel]] back in 1918. Later in 1995 the [[Agence métropolitaine de transport|AMT's]] Electric Multiple Units began operating under [[25 kV AC, 60 Hz|25 kV AC 60 Hz]] electrification, and in 2014, [[ALP-45DP#Agence métropolitaine de transport|dual-power locomotives]] entered service on the [[Mascouche line]].

===Turbo===
[[File:CN train in 1975.jpg|thumb|right|CN TurboTrain in Toronto]]
In May 1966, CN ordered five seven-car [[UAC TurboTrain]] for the Montreal–Toronto service. It planned to operate them in tandem, connecting two trains together into a larger fourteen-car arrangement with a total capacity of 644 passengers. The Canadian trains were built by [[Montreal Locomotive Works]], with their ST6 engines supplied by UAC's Canadian division (now [[Pratt & Whitney Canada]]) in [[Longueuil]], Quebec.

CN and their ad agency wanted to promote the new service as an entirely new form of transit, so they dropped the "train" from the name. In CN's marketing literature the train was referred to simply as the "Turbo", although it retained the full TurboTrain name in CN's own documentation and communication with UAC. A goal of CN's marketing campaign was to get the train into service for Expo '67, and the Turbo was rushed through its trials. It was late for Expo, a disappointment to all involved, but the hectic pace did not let up and it was cleared for service after only one year of testing.

The Turbo's first demonstration run in December 1968 with Conductor James Abbey of Toronto in command, included a large press contingent. An hour into its debut run, the Turbo collided with a truck at a highway crossing near Kingston.

The Turbo's final run was on October 31, 1982.

===Diesel===
[[File:8 Canadian National Freights in Alberta From Roger Puta (31468180173).jpg|thumb|A CN freight train led by a diesel locomotive at the crossovers at English, which is east of [[Jasper, Alberta]]]]
[[File:CN 2269.jpg|thumb|left|CN 2269, a [[GE ES44DC]], in [[Waukesha, Wisconsin]]]]
CNR's first foray into diesel motive power was with self-propelled railcars. In November 1925, Railcar No.&nbsp;15820 completed a 72-hour journey from Montreal to Vancouver with the {{convert|185|hp|adj=on}} diesel engine in nearly continuous operation for the entire {{convert|4,726|km|mi|adj=on}} trip. Railcars were used on marginal economic routes instead of the more-expensive-to-operate steam locomotives used for busier routes.<ref name="holland">{{cite journal|last1=Holland|first1=Kevin J|title=Trains of Fame|journal=Canada's History|date=Dec 2017|volume=97|issue=6|pages=20–29|issn=1920-9894}}</ref>

In 1929, the CNR made its first experiment with mainline [[Diesel locomotive|diesel electric locomotives]], acquiring two {{convert|1,330|hp|adj=on}} engines from [[Westinghouse Electric Corporation|Westinghouse]], numbered 9000 and 9001.<ref name="holland" /> It was the first North American railway to use diesels in mainline service. These early units proved the feasibility of the diesel concept, but were not always reliable. No.&nbsp;9000 served until 1939, and No.&nbsp;9001 until 1947. The difficulties of the [[Great Depression in Canada|Great Depression]] precluded much further progress towards diesel locomotives. The CNR began its conversion to diesel locomotives after World War II, and had fully dieselized by 1960.<ref name="holland" /> Most of the CNR's first-generation diesel locomotives were made by [[General Motors Diesel]] (GMD) and [[Montreal Locomotive Works]].

For its narrow-gauge lines in Newfoundland CN acquired from GMD the 900 series, Models [[GMD NF110|NF110]] (road numbers 900–908) and [[GMD NF210|NF210]] (road numbers 909–946). For use on the branch lines, CN purchased the [[EMD G8]] (road numbers 800–805).

For passenger service the CNR acquired [[EMD FP9|GMD FP9]] diesels, as well as [[CLC CPA16-5]], [[ALCO FA|ALCO MLW FPA-2]] and [[MLW FPA-4|FPA-4]] diesels. These locomotives made up most of the CNR's passenger fleet, although CN also owned some 60 RailLiners ([[Budd Rail Diesel Car]]s), some dual-purpose diesel freight locomotives (freight locomotives equipped with passenger train apparatus, such as steam generators) as well as the locomotives for the [[Turbo (train)|Turbo]] trainsets. Via acquired most of CN's passenger fleet when it took over CN passenger service in 1978.

The CN fleet {{As of|2007|lc=on}} consists of 1,548 locomotives, most of which are products of either [[General Motors]]' Electro-Motive Division (EMD), or General Electric/GE Transportation Systems. Some locomotives more than 30 years old remain in service.

Much of the current roster is made up of [[EMD SD70 series|EMD SD70I]] and [[EMD SD75I]] locomotives and [[GE Dash 9-44CW|GE C44-9W]] locomotives. Recently acquired are the new [[EMD SD70M-2]] and [[GE ES44DC]]. Since 2015 the [[GE ES44AC]] & [[GE ET44AC]] are the latest units.

Beginning in the early summer months of 2010, CN purchased a small order of [[GE Dash 8-40C|GE C40-8]]'s and [[GE Dash 8-40CW|GE C40-8W]]'s from [[Union Pacific]] and [[BNSF Railway]], respectively. The intent was to use them as a cheaper power alternative. CN currently has 65 [[GE Evolution Series|GE ES44AC]]s on its roster and all 65 were ordered and delivered from December 2012 to December 2013. They are CN's first AC-powered locomotives. In 2015, CN started ordering more GE units, the ET44AC.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cn.ca/en/news/2012/03/media_news_acquire_locomotives_20120322|title=CN to acquire 161 locomotives to handle expected traffic increases, improve operational efficiency {{!}} cn.ca|website=www.cn.ca|language=en|access-date=2017-04-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170407145226/https://www.cn.ca/en/news/2012/03/media_news_acquire_locomotives_20120322|archive-date=April 7, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[File:Canadien National.jpg|thumb|right|Hoppers in [[Sainte-Foy, Quebec City]], April 2012]]On November 17, 2020, CN revealed five [[heritage unit]]s to mark the 25th anniversary of becoming a publicly traded company. They had originally been spotted a month earlier, but were not yet formally announced by the company. The locomotives were repainted into various schemes of railroads CN had previously acquired, and included four [[GE ET44AC]]s painted in IC, EJ&E, WC, and BC Rail paint, and an [[EMD SD70M-2]] painted in GTW paint.<ref>{{cite web|title=CN heritage locomotives sighted, but company won't comment|url=https://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2020/10/13-cn-heritage-locomotives-sighted-but-company-wont-comment|website=Trains|date=13 October 2020|access-date=November 18, 2020|archive-date=November 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101101813/https://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2020/10/13-cn-heritage-locomotives-sighted-but-company-wont-comment|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Canadian National Puts New Heritage Units into Service|url=http://railfan.com/canadian-national-puts-new-heritage-units-into-service|website=Railfan & Railroad Magazine|date=17 November 2020}}</ref>

==Major facilities==
CN owns a large number of large yards and repair shops across their system. They are used for many operations, ranging from [[intermodal freight transport|intermodal]] terminals to [[classification yard]]s. Examples include:

===Hump yards===
[[Classification yard|Hump yards]] work by using a small hill over which cars are pushed before being released down a slope and switched automatically into cuts of cars, ready to join into outbound trains. CN's active humps include:<ref>{{cite web| author=Trains Magazine| date=July 8, 2006| url=http://www.trains.com/trn/default.aspx?c=a&id=537| title=North America's Hump Yards| access-date=June 27, 2008| archive-date=December 4, 2008| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204022048/http://www.trains.com/trn/default.aspx?c=a&id=537| url-status=dead}}</ref>
*[[Vaughan]], Ontario: [[CN MacMillan Yard|MacMillan Yard]]
*[[Winnipeg]], Manitoba: [[Symington Yard]]
*[[Gary, Indiana]]: Kirk Yard
*[[Memphis, Tennessee]]: Harrison Yard

{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}

===Other major yards===
*[[Battle Creek, Michigan]]: Battle Creek Yard
*[[Calgary]], Alberta: Sarcee Yard
*[[Champaign, Illinois]]: Champaign Yard
*[[Dartmouth, Nova Scotia]]: Dartmouth Yard
*[[Edmonton]], Alberta: Walker Yard  (formerly Calder Yard) – Also home to CN's North American Operations Facility and rail traffic control<ref>{{cite web|title=CN to close Montreal's rail traffic control centre, affecting over 100 jobs|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/6522704/cn-rail-montreal-relocation/|website=Global News|language=en|access-date=2020-05-17|archive-date=June 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200614083627/https://globalnews.ca/news/6522704/cn-rail-montreal-relocation/|url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[Flat Rock, Michigan]]: Flat Rock Yard
*[[Flint, Michigan]]: Flint Yard
*[[Fond du Lac, Wisconsin]]: Shops Yard
*[[Homewood, Illinois]]: Markham Yard
*[[Lévis, Quebec]]: Joffre Yard
*[[Moncton, New Brunswick]]: Gordon Yard
*[[Montreal]], Quebec: Taschereau Yard
*[[New Orleans, Louisiana]]: Mays Yard
*[[Port Huron, Michigan]]: Port Huron Yard
*[[City of Halifax|Halifax, Nova Scotia]]: Pace Yard (formerly Rockingham yard)
*[[Sarnia, Ontario]]: Sarnia Yard
*[[Saskatoon, Saskatchewan]]: Chappell Yard
*[[Surrey, British Columbia]]: Thornton Yard
*[[Toledo, Ohio]]: Lang Yard
*[[Windsor, Ontario]]: Van de Water Yard
*[[Winnipeg]], Manitoba: [[Transcona]] Shops, Symington Yard
{{col-2}}

===Intermodal terminals===
*[[Calgary]], Alberta
*[[Chicago, Illinois]]
*[[Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin]]
*[[Detroit, Michigan]] (Ferndale)
*[[Duluth, Minnesota]]
*[[Edmonton]], Alberta
*[[City of Halifax|Halifax, Nova Scotia]]
*[[Gulfport, Mississippi]]
*[[Jackson, Mississippi]]: terminal owned by the [[Kansas City Southern Railway]]
*[[Memphis, Tennessee]]
*[[Mobile, Alabama]]
*[[Moncton]], New Brunswick
*[[Montreal]], Quebec
*[[New Orleans, Louisiana]]
*[[Prince George, British Columbia]]
*[[Prince Rupert, British Columbia]]
*[[Saskatoon]], Saskatchewan
*[[Regina, Saskatchewan]]
*[[Brampton]], Ontario
*[[Surrey, British Columbia]]
*[[Winnipeg]], Manitoba
{{col-end}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Trains|Companies}}
* {{annotated link|Canadian Pacific Kansas City}}
* {{annotated link|GO Transit}}
* [[Narrow gauge railways in Canada]]
* {{annotated link|Newfoundland T'Railway}}
* {{annotated link|Ontario Northland Railway}}
* [[Rail transport in Canada]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{See also|Bibliography of Canadian economic history}}
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |title=The pig that flew: The battle to privatize Canadian National |last=Bruce |first=Harry |author-link=Harry Bruce (writer) |publisher=Douglas & McIntyre |year=1997 |isbn=1-55054-609-0|location=Vancouver }}
* {{cite book |title=The people's railway: A history of Canadian National |last=Cameron |first=Douglas |publisher=Douglas & McIntyre |year=1992 |isbn=1-55054-062-9 |location=Vancouver |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/peoplesrailwayhi0000mack }}
* {{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z35PdcMobIYC&q=The%20Train%20Doesn%27t%20Stop%20Here%20Anymore&pg=PP1 |title=The Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore |last=Brown |first=Ron |publisher=Dundurn Group |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-55002-794-5 |access-date=November 9, 2020 |archive-date=August 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240816165800/https://books.google.com/books?id=z35PdcMobIYC&q=The%20Train%20Doesn%27t%20Stop%20Here%20Anymore&pg=PP1#v=snippet&q=The%20Train%20Doesn't%20Stop%20Here%20Anymore&f=false |url-status=live }}
* {{citation |last=Hofsommer |first=Don L |title=Grand Trunk Corporation: "Canadian national railways" in the United States |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=28PLpNLQ3x4C&q=Canadian%20National%20Railway&pg=PP1 |year=1995 |publisher=Michigan State University Press |isbn=0-87013-406-X }}{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* {{citation |last=Murray |first=Tom |title=Canadian National Railway |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ABGaSbL0vmQC&q=Canadian%20National%20Railway&pg=PP1 |year=2004 |publisher=MBI Pub. Co |isbn=076031764X }}{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* {{citation |last=Murray |first=Tom |title=Rails Across Canada The History of Canadian Pacific and Canadian National Railways. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vf7efnxi1XwC&q=Canadian%20National%20Railway&pg=PP1 |year=2011 |publisher=Voyageur Pr |isbn=978-0-7603-4008-0 |access-date=November 9, 2020 |archive-date=August 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240816165758/https://books.google.com/books?id=vf7efnxi1XwC&q=Canadian%20National%20Railway&pg=PP1#v=snippet&q=Canadian%20National%20Railway&f=false |url-status=live }}
* {{citation |title=Railway Wonders of the World |chapter-url=http://www.railwaywondersoftheworld.com/canadian-national-railway.html |year=1936 |pages=215–220 |chapter=The doorway to Canada |editor-last=Winchester |editor-first=Clarence |access-date=August 2, 2014 |archive-date=August 8, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808041335/http://www.railwaywondersoftheworld.com/canadian-national-railway.html |url-status=live }}, illustrated description of the Canadian National Railway
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website}} {{in lang|en|fr}}
* [http://collectionscanada.gc.ca/ourl/res.php?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&url_tim=2019-06-14T02%3A47%3A02Z&url_ctx_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=95&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fcollectionscanada.gc.ca%3Apam&lang=eng Canadian National Railway fonds (RG30/R231) at Library and Archives Canada] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200529202730/https://collectionscanada.gc.ca/pam_archives/index.php?fuseaction=genitem.displayItem&lang=eng&rec_nbr=95 |date=May 29, 2020 }}
* [http://imagescn.technomuses.ca/ CN Images of Canada Gallery] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121130090518/http://www.imagescn.technomuses.ca/ |date=November 30, 2012 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20190110113903/http://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/200/301/ic/can_digital_collections/cnphoto/cnphoto.html Canadian National Railway Historic Photograph Collection]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140312224543/http://www.images.technomuses.ca/?en%2Fstories%2Ffreight_vehicles%2Fintro%2Fpage%2F1 CNR Trucking: Express and Freight Vehicles]

{{Canadian National Railway}}
{{CN named trains}}
{{Canada railways}}
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{{North America class I}}
{{S&P/TSX 60}}
{{Morningstar National Bank Québec Index}}
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{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Canadian National Railway| ]]
[[Category:S&P/TSX 60]]
[[Category:Companies based in Montreal]]
[[Category:Alberta railways]]
[[Category:Northwest Territories railways]]
[[Category:British Columbia railways]]
[[Category:Manitoba railways]]
[[Category:New Brunswick railways]]
[[Category:Defunct Newfoundland and Labrador railways]]
[[Category:Nova Scotia railways]]
[[Category:Ontario railways]]
[[Category:Defunct Prince Edward Island railways]]
[[Category:Quebec railways]]
[[Category:Saskatchewan railways]]
[[Category:Alabama railroads]]
[[Category:Illinois railroads]]
[[Category:Indiana railroads]]
[[Category:Iowa railroads]]
[[Category:Kentucky railroads]]
[[Category:Louisiana railroads]]
[[Category:Maine railroads<!--trackage rights to Madawaska-->]]
[[Category:Michigan railroads]]
[[Category:Minnesota railroads]]
[[Category:Mississippi railroads]]
[[Category:Nebraska railroads]]
[[Category:Ohio railroads]]
[[Category:Pennsylvania railroads]]
[[Category:Defunct New Hampshire railroads]]
[[Category:New York (state) railroads]]
[[Category:Tennessee railroads]]
[[Category:Vermont railroads]]
[[Category:Wisconsin railroads]]
[[Category:Economy of the Midwestern United States]]
[[Category:Economy of the Southeastern United States]]
[[Category:Canadian companies established in 1922]]
[[Category:Former Crown corporations of Canada]]
[[Category:Standard-gauge railways in Canada]]
[[Category:Class I railroads in North America]]
[[Category:Companies listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange]]
[[Category:Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange]]
[[Category:Railway companies established in 1922<!--organized October 10, 1922; merged with Grand Trunk January 30, 1923-->]]
[[Category:Canadian brands]]