CN Rail Expansion Projects

[SD70Dude]

Newswire article with a map:

http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2018/06/05-canadian-national-pledges-to-stay-ahead-of-traffic-growth

[rvos1979]

CN is supposed to be starting a project to extend Nestle siding into Burlington, WI, soon, they are also paying to reconfigure some streets so they can close one railroad crossing.........

[Gotrans]

 

CN investing approximately $315 million to expand

and strengthen Ontario’s rail infrastructure in 2018

 

Program includes track and intermodal projects to boost capacity and improve efficiency across the province

TORONTO, July 11, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CN (TSX:CNR) (NYSE:CNI) said today it plans to invest approximately $315 million in Ontario in 2018 to expand and strengthen the company’s rail network across the province.

  Planned expansion projects include:

• Investments in a satellite intermodal facility near CN’s Brampton Intermodal Terminal to provide temporary capacity  
• Intermodal equipment and infrastructure at CN’s Brampton Intermodal Terminal to serve growing cold supply chain business
• Construction of a new train passing siding east of Sioux Lookout

Maintenance program highlights include:             

• Replacement of approximately 90 miles of rail
• Installation of more than 380,000 new railroad ties
• Rebuilds of approximately 60 road crossing surfaces
• Maintenance work on bridges, culverts, signal systems and other track infrastructure             

 

[SD70Dude]

ONE (1) new siding in northern Ontario!  My goodness, they've solved that line's capacity problem!

Seriously though, it would take about a dozen more to make a good start on solving that line's capacity problems, which are entirely caused by running long, over-siding trains. 

The local NIMBYs have been complaining about the new Milton Intermodal Terminal project for some time already, perhaps the "temporary" improvements at BIT are a result of this?

[traisessive1]

380000 ties and 90 miles of rail over the whole province is a drop in the bucket as well. 

[Ulrich]

SD70Dude.. I'm guessin you work for CN.. you appear to know everything there is to know about CN right of way and ops..

[rvos1979]

On my way home today, noticed four sticks of welded rail were dropped this week in Burlington, WI, I'm presuming they are either for the expansion of Nestle siding, or replacement of the curve rail in town.........

[SD70Dude]

About 2/3 of grading between Spruce Grove and Carvel has been completed, and they are starting to put panel track in at crossings, temporarily closing one at a time, mostly at night:

http://www.stonyplain.com/Town-Services/Roads-and-Infrastructure/Construction-Updates/CN-Twinning.htm

And now they are starting to talk about really planning for the future, this NewsWire article also contains a updated map:

http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2018/07/25-cn-envisions-slowly-double-tracking-main-line-from-edmonton-to-winnipeg

[blue streak 1]

Quesstion for our dispatching experts.    If any RR wants to run extra long trains both ways that will not fit in sidings can a RR be dispatched if it had about 40 miles of double track followed by about 40 miles of single track and 40 miles of double track and so on ?  

Realize ruling grades and topography would be complicating factors.

How easy would it be to dispatch fleets of extra long trains to meet on the double track sections?  How much would trains be slowed by the tail end charlies clearing the single track ?

Also realize effective power to weight ratio would have to be nearly identical.

[PNWRMNM]

blue streak 1

Quesstion for our dispatching experts. If any RR wants to run extra long trains both ways that will not fit in sidings can a RR be dispatched if it had about 40 miles of double track followed by about 40 miles of single track and 40 miles of double track and so on ?  

Realize ruling grades and topography would be complicating factors.

How easy would it be to dispatch fleets of extra long trains to meet on the double track sections?  How much would trains be slowed by the tail end charlies clearing the single track ?

Also realize effective power to weight ratio would have to be nearly identical.

Streak,

I have worked as a dispatcher but not on the kind of line you describe so this answer is largely theoretical.

Your description is incomplete in that you do not say anything about number and length of intermediate short sidings, so I will make the simplifying, and probably unrealistic, assumption that there are none.

Assuming more or less flat ground and a reasonable power to weight ratio, your 40 mile segments are about an hour travel time. If you want to fleet trains, that will gobble up another 8-10 miles to allow following trains to run on clear blocks, so allow about 15 minutes for each addtional train in a fleet. Assuming single trains and one east then one west your capacity is one train per hour, or 24 per day, 12 each way. Fleeting two or three trains would increase capacity at some cost in velocity, so you would not get the full multiple due to lost velocity.

A much better arrangement would be 10 miles single, ten miles double. Your travel time  between stations is now nominal 15 minutes. That gives you a theoretical capacity of 4 trains per hour AND the amount of second track is identical. This would be much easier to dispatch and should generate less train delay than the other.

Either way the key issue is combined running and clearing time. Each arrangement would be best with diverging switches good for 40 MPH or better. A two mile long train at 40 MPH will take a bit less than four minutes to clear any particular point.

Mac

[Deggesty]

Mac, about 50 years ago, the Southern reduced its double track line between Washington and Atlanta to roughly 10 miles single and 10 miles double track. I think the same thing was done to the Cincinnati-Oakdale double track in the same time frame.

I amy have missed it, but I have not seen anything about restoring the double track that was taken up.

[PNWRMNM]

I was unaware of that, but not surprised. To think that they managed to figure it out without computers and consultants. Bless their hearts!

[BaltACD]

Deggesty

Mac, about 50 years ago, the Southern reduced its double track line between Washington and Atlanta to roughly 10 miles single and 10 miles double track. I think the same thing was done to the Cincinnati-Oakdale double track in the same time frame.

I amy have missed it, but I have not seen anything about restoring the double track that was taken up.

That kind of thinking struck the B&O in the early 60's and was implemented between Sherwood, OH and Pine Jct., IN with CTC as the manner of operation.  It remained that way until CSX announced the CR acquisition plan when construction commenced to make the line at least double track all the way with some areas of triple track all operated by CTC.

Similar plant rationalization was applied between Philadelphia and Baltimore as well as on the Old Main Line between Baltimore and Point of Rocks.  In these instances sidings were used instead of double track.

[matthewsaggie]

Using the stimulis funds pased during the Obama administration, NCDOT has restored all tbe double track between Greensboro and Charlotte taken up by the Southern. This additional capacity is what has allowed the addition of the third and soon to be fourth Piedmonts in each direction.

[dwill49965]

Hello - can anyone provide an update on the status of all these expansion projects?  Did they all get completed on time and does anyone know if they have significantly reduced bottlenecks?

[blue streak 1]

matthewsaggie

Using the stimulis funds pased during the Obama administration, NCDOT has restored all tbe double track between Greensboro and Charlotte taken up by the Southern. This additional capacity is what has allowed the addition of the third and soon to be fourth Piedmonts in each direction.

 

What is more telling is the 92 miles between these 2 cities has enabled the Crescents to make up as much as 30+  minutes of schedule time when late !  

The restoration is actually better than what SOU originally had.  SOU had double track right hand direction of travel tracks between the 2 stations.  Then SOU converted the tracks to single track CTC operation with equal lateral 45 MPH switches. The restoration changed the tracks to 2 Main track ( both tracks bi-directional ) CTC with high speed crossovers at somewhere around 10+ mile spacing.  As well several slower track sections were modified to allow for higher speed  passenger train operation. 

 

Now there is only very occassionally freight train interferrence between the stations. This is what is needed nationwide for Amtrak service.

[SD70Dude]

dwill49965

Hello - can anyone provide an update on the status of all these expansion projects?  Did they all get completed on time and does anyone know if they have significantly reduced bottlenecks?

I believe the Western Canada siding and double track projects have all been completed, not sure about yard improvements.  Will have a look at the bulletins next time I am at work and post a list soon.  The additional track is helping, but things are still congested. 

Also of note, it appears that work has begun to re-open the hump at Walker Yard in Edmonton.  Going to be a big job, hope they see it through.

[dwill49965]

Thanks SD70Dude.  Nice to see progress being made.  And I see today that there is another newswire story about more CN double tracking construction between Wpg-Edm this year. 

[traisessive1]

You could have 20 main tracks from end to end and it won't make a lick of difference when it comes to the real killer - terminal congestion. 

[SD70Dude]

Here's what I have been able to find so far, but from the map CN put out there should be a few more new/lengthened sidings in BC.  Mileages are between the published locations in timetables and bulletins.

- Welby to Spy Hill, SK.  7.1 miles.  Extends previous Welby to Latimer double track, with crossovers at Welby.  

- Waldron to Cana, SK (just east of Melville).  9.1 miles.  Crossovers at Cariati (was this formerly Cana East?).

- Artland to Chauvin, SK.  11.4 miles, with crossovers halfway through at the new controlled location of Nielsen.

- Wainwright to Fabyan, AB.  4.9 miles.  One crossover at Wainwright West.

- Tofield to Lindbrook, AB.  7.3 miles.

- Carvel to Spruce Grove, AB.  12 miles, with crossovers at both ends.  This connected two existing double track sections, making continuous double track from Edmonton to Wabamun.

- Swan Landing, AB got a second long siding and additional yard tracks.  This is the junction between the mainline and the branchline to Grande Prairie.

- Vavenby, BC siding lengthened from 6400' to 15450'. 

- New 12900' siding at Payne, BC.  This is on the Telkwa Sub, between Endako and Smithers, BC.

[williamsb]

Thanks for that Dude.

Trains Newswire and Sticky above have articles stating CN plans to add 105 mi. of doubletrack in 2019, 75 of it between Edmonton and Winnipeg. I hope they stick to it and don't let large shareholders keep them from doing it.

[Gotrans]

• January 29, 2019

 

• Class I, Freight, Freight Cars, Intermodal, Locomotives, M/W, Mechanical, News

For CN, a strong 2018 finish

Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief ( RAILWAY AGE)

williamsb

Thanks for that Dude.

Trains Newswire and Sticky above have articles stating CN plans to add 105 mi. of doubletrack in 2019, 75 of it between Edmonton and Winnipeg. I hope they stick to it and don't let large shareholders keep them from doing it.

 

It looks like CN has backed off a bit from the 105 miles of double track to 80 miles as per the article from Railway Age.

•  
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

CN President and CEO JJ Ruest.

CN, in reporting financial and operating results for fourth-quarter and full-year 2018, noted that the year ended on a strong note, “driven by solid top-line growth and significantly improved operating efficiency.”

Fourth-quarter 2018 compared to fourth-quarter 2017

• Revenues of C$3.81 billion, an increase of 16%.
• Diluted EPS of C$1.56, a decrease of 55% and adjusted diluted EPS of C$1.49, an increase of 24%. Included in diluted EPS in the fourth quarter of 2017 was a deferred income tax recovery of C$2.35 per diluted share resulting from the enactment of a lower U.S. federal corporate income tax rate.
• Operating margin of 38.1%, an increase of 0.8 points (operating ratio of 61.9%).)
• Adjusted operating margin of 38.8%, an increase of 1.5 points (adjusted operating ratio of 61.2%).
• Operating income of C$1.45 billion, an increase of 19%. (2)

Full-year 2018 compared to full-year 2017

• Revenues of C$14.3 b million, an increase of 10%.
• Diluted EPS of C$5.87, a decrease of 19% and adjusted diluted EPS of C$5.50, an increase of 10%. Included in diluted EPS in 2017 was a deferred income tax recovery of C$2.33 per diluted share resulting from the enactment of a lower U.S. federal corporate income tax rate.
• Operating margin of 38.4%, a decrease of 1.8 points (operating ratio of 61.6%).
• Adjusted operating margin of 38.5%, a decrease of 1.7 points (adjusted operating ratio of 61.5%).
• Operating income of C$5,493 million, an increase of five%. (2)
• Adjusted return on invested capital (adjusted ROIC) of 15.7%, a decrease of 0.2 points.

“I’m very pleased with our fourth-quarter results and the strong finish to 2018,” said CN President and CEO JJ Ruest, Railway Age’s2019 Railroader of the Year. “With approximately C$1.3 billion of revenue growth in the final three quarters of the year, CN regained its position of strength and demonstrated again its ability to grow at low incremental cost. 2019 will be a year of building on this momentum. We are focused on operational productivity and services that resonate with customers.”

2019 outlook and shareholder distribution 

“With CN-specific growth opportunities, combined with a broadly positive economic backdrop, we expect high single-digit volume growth in 2019 in terms of revenue ton miles (RTMs),” said Ruest.

CN expects to deliver EPS growth in the low-double-digit range this year compared to adjusted diluted EPS of C$5.50 in 2018.

CN’s Board of Directors approved an 18% increase to CN’s 2019 quarterly cash dividend, effective for the first quarter of 2019, “demonstrating our confidence in the long-term financial health of the Company. In addition, the Company’s Board of Directors also approved a new normal course issuer bid that permits CN to purchase, for cancellation, over a 12-month period up to 22 million common shares, starting on Feb. 1, 2019, and ending no later than Jan. 31, 2020.

CAPITAL PROGRAM

CN will invest approximately a record $2.94 billion (C$3.9 billion) in its capital spending program. Of that $1.2 billion (C$1.6 billion) is targeted toward track and railway infrastructure maintenance, the same as was spent in 2018.

“In 2019, our record capital program of C$3.9 billion will be focused on investing in the renewal of a more efficient and reliable locomotive fleet, adding network capacity to accommodate our solid pipeline of growth in diverse markets and bringing technology to our Precision Scheduled Railroading,” said Ruest.

Some additional details on CN capital spending were made available to attendees at the NRC Conference in Marco Island, Fla., earlier this month.

Notable items:

• Tie replacement will drop 10% in 2019, according to Jim McLeod, CN Chief Engineer  Structures, Design and Construction. McLeod told the NRC conference the railroad would replace 950,000 ties this year. But that on a “steady state basis, [CN is] ideally looking to replace 2.1 million ties overall annually, taking into account the higher traffic density.”
• Main line basic track maintenance investment is expected to decline 5% in 2019 to $840 million from a year earlier.
• The railroad plans to replace 369 track-miles of rail this year, a drop from 383 miles in 2018.
• The railroad is investing $65 million in its strategic bridge initiative this year, well above the $45.6 million in 2018.

CN also plans to add nearly 80 miles of double-track this year, well up from 50 miles in 2018.

CN also plans to roll out fully automated track inspection this year. Phase One involves use of eight track inspection boxcars continually inspecting 4,800 miles of key core main line track. The railroad is also adding inspection portals in multiple locations. Those portals are designed to detect damage and wear on locomotives and railcars, as well as to collect data on usage.

Capital spending on Positive Train Control (PTC) projects is expected to be $226 million (C$300 million) this year, well below the $301 million (C$400 million) of 2018.

Engineering Editor Paul Conley contributed to this story.

 

 

[williamsb]

I think CN is a little loose with their figures. They said they added 50 miles of DT in 2018, according to Dudes figures and if Parkland to Hawthorne was done on the Superior Sub it adds up to about 61 or 62 miles in 2018.

CN also has stated that prior to 2018 there was only 100 miles of DT from Winnipeg to Edmonton. I add up about 165 miles plus another 80 on the Edson Sub, not counting the 12 or 13 miles EHH took out in 2 sections, there was also another 75 miles west of Jasper.

$3.9 Billion is a lot for a company the size of CN. I for one am glad they are doing it. It will be interesting to see what they actually do this year.

[SD70Dude]

Many of the double track endpoints already had sidings, whose length is included in the distance between the new station locations but would not have been included in the construction mileage.  

5 long sidings would account for that 10 or 12 mile difference.

[BaltACD]

SD70Dude

Many of the double track endpoints already had sidings, whose length is included in the distance between the new station locations but would not have been included in the construction mileage.  

5 long sidings would account for that 10 or 12 mile difference.

Once upon a time a four mile stretch with two tracks would have been considered 'double track'.  With the size trains being operated on todays railroads - four miles is just a long siding - a nominal 20K foot siding in the world of 15K+ foot trains.

[blue streak 1]

BaltACD

 Once upon a time a four mile stretch with two tracks would have been considered 'double track'.  With the size trains being operated on todays railroads - four miles is just a long siding - a nominal 20K foot siding in the world of 15K+ foot trains.

 

 

So maybe even sidings of 5  - 6 miles would not be double track?  Guess it is a matter of each rr's definition and maybe even different for different subdivisions?  Just thinking of the line from Manchester to JAX of CSX that is just calling their 25,000 ft sidings extra long sidings?

[BaltACD]

blue streak 1

 

BaltACD

 Once upon a time a four mile stretch with two tracks would have been considered 'double track'.  With the size trains being operated on todays railroads - four miles is just a long siding - a nominal 20K foot siding in the world of 15K+ foot trains. 

So maybe even sidings of 5  - 6 miles would not be double track?  Guess it is a matter of each rr's definition and maybe even different for different subdivisions?  Just thinking of the line from Manchester to JAX of CSX that is just calling their 25,000 ft sidings extra long sidings?

In CSX CADS naming conventions - If each end of Double Track have different Control Point names then it is considered Double Track.  If the Control Point names are E/W or N/S the same name one of the tracks is a siding.

From a Dispatching perspective, if you can't get two or more full size trains in the clear on the track segment - in your mind it is no more than a siding, no matter what the timetable designates it.

In the day when the Philadelphia Sub and the Old Main Line were changed from double track Current of Traffic to be single track CTC it was considered that their 9000 to 10000 foot sidings would hold two trains in normal operations - that was true in 1961 when the changes were made - in today's railroading, normal 10000+ foot trains don't clear - serious delays happen when you have non-clearing trains operating in both directions. 

B&O's Chicago Division CTC installation from Sherwood, OH to Gary, IN was alternating 8 miles of single track and 8 miles of double track.  In reality its operation was as a single track piece of railroad.  There were no crossovers within the double track segments to permit the manipulation of getting 'faster' trains around 'slower' trains.  When a Local Freight was working at a location on the double track segments - that segment was then operationally single track until the Local was done and moving on again.

[Gotrans]

Does anybody know the average number of daily freight trains along the following sections?

1.Jasper - Edmonton

2.Edmonton-Saskatoon

3. Saskatoon- Winnipeg

4. Edmonton - Warman via Lloydminster

5. Warman / Saskatoon - Winnipeg via Dauphin

6. Winnipeg - east

[williamsb]

Anyone want to start a contest for bragging rights about where CN will Double Track in 2019?

Gotrans posted a report with a map under CN's Capital Program, assuming it is accurate here are my guesses. Dude might have an advantage if he takes part.

-Swan Landing east to Solomon and the Athabasca River bridge.

-Wolf Creek east to Peers (east of Edson)

-East from Wainwright AB. (Wainwright Sub)

-Unity SK east to Tako (Wainwright Sub)

-East from Dufault (current end of 11 miles of 2 tracks) Watrous Sub by Saskatoon SK (Watrous Sub)

-Bailey to Fenwood SK (Watrous Sub)

 

-East from current end of 2 tracks completed in 2018 near Waldron SK to

Bangor or Atwater SK (Rivers Sub)

-West from Portage la Prairie MB Rivers Sub.

No idea about the one by Duluth.

What do you think? All about 9 or 10 miles.

[kgbw49]

If they use the same strategy they did in Douglas County, WI coming south out of Superior, they will double track between major bridges and leave the major bridges as single track.