CEO PERSPECTIVES, RAILWAY AGE APRIL 2025 ISSUE: At CN, our purpose is clear: We power the economy. As railroaders, this is what we do every day. We have the privilege of serving a wide range of industries and connecting supply chains across North America. We’ve had that honor for over a century. This gives us a unique perspective on the economy, its cycles and where it’s headed.
Like the businesses we serve, we are eager to grow. We believe the best way to do that is through reliable service, by listening to our customer’s needs, and by leveraging our 20,000-mile network linking Canada’s East and West Coast ports and extending south through the Midwest to the U.S. Gulf Coast. Through these actions we can provide the resilience and flexibility that our customers and supply chain partners are looking for.
Growth remains a priority, even as geopolitical realities introduce economic uncertainty. We focus on what we can control—making strategic investments to strengthen our capacity, leveraging the strength of our unique network, and helping our customers get their products to existing and new markets. We focus on agility, ensuring our resources are aligned to demand and that we’re well positioned to accommodate growth at low incremental cost.
Now more than ever, strong and reliable supply chains are essential for North America. Rail has the benefit of having a large comprehensive geographical reach. This allows us to offer easy and quick solutions when a customer needs to take advantage of a new market opportunity, because chances are we can get them there. We do this by working in collaboration with our customers and our supply chain partners—ports, short lines, and other Class I’s to name a few. At the end of the day, this is an effort that takes all of us, working in concert—securing markets, establishing loading terminals, expanding rail capacity and enhancing port capacity. We have a lot of experience in this, and when we all work together a lot can be achieved.
CN has a great network, and we believe that our extensive reach provides an element of flexibility that our customers can leverage to mitigate some of the uncertainties that we are experiencing. We operate in 16 states, eight Canadian provinces, and have access to major ports in the Atlantic, Pacific, and the U.S. Gulf, providing customers with key market access within North America and abroad. On top of that, we also provide interline services with other Class I railways and our short line partners, making the number of markets we can provide access to even larger.
This type of thoughtful and comprehensive market access is the vision for the Port of Prince Rupert, which CN is proud to exclusively serve. As one of North America’s most strategic gateways to global markets, the Port of Prince Rupert has traditionally focused on bulk exports and intermodal. Now, it is expanding to handle a broader range of commodities, unlocking new opportunities for North American industries.
Key growth areas for the Port of Prince Rupert include natural gas liquids (NGLs), specialty grains, lumber and wood pellets. This diversification strengthens the resource economy, making it more competitive and adaptable. CN is doing its part, as we will be completing two additional sections of double track on the Edson Subdivision west of Edmonton this year, increasing capacity by 25% through this critical link supporting our growth to the West Coast. And we’ll continue to work closely with partners at the port to invest in infrastructure that supports these expanding sectors, positioning Prince Rupert as a vital trade hub for the future.
We continue to invest in the resiliency of our network, with approximately $3.4 billion in planned capital investments this year. Consistent reinvestment in our rail infrastructure ensures that CN remains the safest and most reliable choice for customers to move their goods.
At CN, we are excited about our customer-driven opportunities that will enable sustainable growth and support the growth of the North American economy. Our investments across all regions in our network are designed to enhance resilience, reliability and efficiency across North America’s supply chains.
By investing in our network, providing reliable service and fostering strong partnerships, CN ensures that its customers remain competitive in an increasingly dynamic global marketplace. With a clear vision and a commitment to progress, we are ready to meet today’s challenges and seize tomorrow’s opportunities.
