CN Executive Call For US-Canada Rail Orientation

Oct. 15, 2001
The increasing integration of the United States and Canadian economies will require a greater north-south orientation of the North American rail industry

The increasing integration of the United States and Canadian economies will require a greater north-south orientation of the North American rail industry to allow shippers to tap new business opportunities, says Paul M. Tellier, president and chief executive officer of Canadian National Railway, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Tellier, speaking to the North American Fertilizer Transportation Conference, said North American railroads of the future will also have a sharper customer focus, greater market share and healthier balance sheets.

Tellier added that, "further consolidation of railroads is almost inevitable" to satisfy shippers' demands for premium, single-line service. Under current conditions new rail mergers are unlikely within the next two to three years, Tellier said, although events could trigger a new round of rail consolidation more quickly.

Canadian National Railway Company spans Canada and mid-America, from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to the Gulf of Mexico, serving the Canadian ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Montreal, Halifax, and those in New Orleans LA, and Mobile AL. The company also serves the Canadaian city of Toronto, Ontario, as well as US cities: Buffalo NY, Chicago IL, Detroit MI, Duluth MN, Superior WI, Green Bay WI, Minneapolis/St Paul MN, Memphis TN, St Louis MO, and Jackson MS, with connections to all points in North America.

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