CN Initiating Progressive and Orderly Shutdown of its Eastern Canadian Network
February 13 2020 - 4:31PM
CN (TSX: CNR) (NYSE: CNI) announced today that the Company has been
forced to initiate a disciplined and progressive shutdown of its
operations in Eastern Canada. This will include stopping and safely
securing all trans-continental trains across its Canadian network
and may imminently lead to temporary layoffs within the company’s
Eastern Canadian operational staff.
CN sought and obtained court orders and
requested the assistance of enforcement agencies for the illegal
blockades in Ontario, Manitoba, and British Columbia. While the
illegal blockades have come to an end in Manitoba and may be ending
imminently in British Columbia, the orders of the court in Ontario
have yet to be enforced and continue to be ignored. The Company has
tried to adjust its operations to serve customers in the face of
these challenges, it is now left with the only remaining
responsible option: progressively shutting down its Eastern
Canadian operations until the illegal blockades end.
“With over 400 trains cancelled during the last
week and new protests that emerged at strategic locations on our
mainline, we have decided that a progressive shutdown of our
Eastern Canadian operations is the responsible approach to take for
the safety of our employees and the protestors,” said JJ Ruest,
president and chief executive officer at CN. “This situation is
regrettable for its impact on the economy and on our railroaders as
these protests are unrelated to CN's activities, and beyond our
control. Our shutdown will be progressive and methodical to ensure
that we are well set up for recovery, which will come when the
illegal blockades end completely.”
“Unfortunately, intercity Via Rail service will
be discontinued across our Canadian network. However, commuter rail
services, such as Metrolinx and Exo, can keep operating so long as
they can do so safely. I would like to thank our customers,
international supply-chain partners, and industry associations for
their support to get this unprecedented ordeal resolved,” concluded
Ruest.
CN is a true backbone of the economy
transporting more than C$250 billion worth of goods annually for a
wide range of business sectors, ranging from resource products to
manufactured products to consumer goods, across a rail network of
approximately 20,000 route-miles spanning Canada and mid-America.
CN – Canadian National Railway Company, along with its operating
railway subsidiaries – serves the cities and ports of Vancouver,
Prince Rupert, B.C., Montreal, Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile,
Ala., and the metropolitan areas of Toronto, Edmonton, Winnipeg,
Calgary, Chicago, Memphis, Detroit, Duluth, Minn./Superior, Wis.,
and Jackson, Miss., with connections to all points in North
America. For more information about CN, visit the company’s website
at www.cn.ca.
Contacts: |
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Investment Community |
Jonathan Abecassis |
Paul Butcher |
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Vice-President |
Media Relations |
Investor Relations |
(514) 399-7956 |
(514) 399-0052 |
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