I think they all are still single track, Bickerdike East to Bickerdike West, Devona to Henry House on the Edson Sub. Fitzwilliam to Grant Brook on the Albreda Sub and London to Sarnia in Ontario
williamsb I think they all are still single track, ... and London to Sarnia in Ontario
I think they all are still single track, ... and London to Sarnia in Ontario
I would guess it was about at that same time that the GTW was single tracked on the US side of the border.
You must remember there are legal issues and property issues that have to be addressed before they can just drop another track down.
10000 feet and no dynamics? Today is going to be a good day ...
While it is possible Transport Canada could over rule Parks Canada, since I imagine CN still owns sufficient right of way, it is always better to come to an amicable agreement with your major neighbour. Easy vehicle access to much of the route requires use of Parks infrastructure.
williamsb CN announced today April 8 Capital Spending in 4 states. $120 M in Wisconsin, most notable 8 mi. of DT near Hawthorne. $100 M in Tennessee. $95 M in Louisiana, start rebuilding 2 mi long Lake Pontchartrain bridge $190 M in Illinois. All figures in $US. Do you have any details of construction in Illinois?
CN announced today April 8 Capital Spending in 4 states.
$120 M in Wisconsin, most notable 8 mi. of DT near Hawthorne.
$100 M in Tennessee.
$95 M in Louisiana, start rebuilding 2 mi long Lake Pontchartrain bridge
$190 M in Illinois.
All figures in $US.
Adams1Do you have any details of construction in Illinois?
There's not a lot of detail here, but have you seen this?
https://www.progressiverailroading.com/mow/news/CN-schedules-rail-projects-in-Illinois-Louisiana-Tennessee-and-Wisconsin--57299
It's a part of this overall coverage of projects (and other stuff):
https://www.bing.com/news/search?q=CN+Railroad&qpvt=cn+railroad&FORM=EWRE
_____________
"A stranger's just a friend you ain't met yet." --- Dave Gardner
If you looked at the amount of CN's subdivisions that are double-tracked between Vancouver (Surrey's Thornton Yard) and Winnipeg, including sections of double-track along with all sidings, it is currently less than 50% (737.18 miles out of 1,541.20 miles). Here is the breakdown based on what I had calculated:
Yale Sub: 90.7% (includes directional running with CP)
Ashcroft Sub: 68.4% (includes directional running with CP)
Clearwater Sub: 38.9%
Albreda Sub: 61.3% (includes portion that is Red Pass Sub since line is for westbound traffic north of Valemont)
Edson Sub: 50.8% (will increase to over 58% by end of year due to double-tracking projects)
Wainwright Sub: 30.0% (will increase to over 32% due to additional double-track)
Watrous: 33.4% (will increase to over 43% due to additional double-track)
Rivers: 46.0% (will increase to over 50% due to additional double-track)
Considering traffic is excess of 100 million tons per year between the points and growing substantially due to Prince Rupert, 47.8% of the lines being double-tracked is not very much. It's surprising that it took a while to make the Edson Sub more than 50% double-track considering that is CN's busiest mainline of them all.
CN just had an earnings call and some interesting things from the transcript.
22 Capital projects planned this year, 2 already completed, does anyone know what they are?
CN has got 63 new locos this year, 52 more by the end of June.
The 1st question asked was by Chris Wetherbee from Citigroup was about OR.
Turan Quettawalla from Scotia Bank asked about CapEx, JJ said work done in yards in Edmonton and Winnipeg last year helped alot. CN was the best in the industry in volume growth in the 1st quarter.
Seldon Clarke asked about OR and PSR. JJ said CN is not a one trick pony of OR and asked where is the floor and made quite a few comments on this. Seldon pressed on about OR and I liked JJ's answer saying "we're not going to get drawn into the PSR discussion and how low can you go in the limbo contest. We'll leave that for the others."
RailsMBSK reported today 75 conductors have been laid off in Winnipeg.
Let's hold our breath on these projects being completed. Mike Cory said they weren't going to make the mistake of abandoning the programs if traffic drops. Let's see if that holds true.
Traffic is DOWN.
They are dumping rock on the Sprague Sub right now which is great to see. There are still no survey marks for that possible expansion between Devlin and Fort Frances, so I think it may not be happening, at least this year.
36 more conductors to the retention board today in Winnipeg and I would imagine those 36 will go into layoff next week if traffic doesn't pick up.
Seeing numbers from other terminals is Western Canada shows that they're again going to lose A LOT of guys if traffic doesn't come back.
They are hard at work on the double-tracking projects in Alberta. Brush clearing and grading work has been ongoing for some time already, and materials like welded rail, ties and prefab 45 mph turnouts are arriving.
Yard work around Edmonton (Walker and Scotford) is still happening too. They ripped out all the old hump switches at Walker this winter and spring, but no one seems to know now if the master plan is to re-open the hump, or just make the old bowl tracks double-ended again (most have been stubs since the hump closed in 2011).
Lots of layoffs happening around here too, but I haven't counted the exact numbers.
Greetings from Alberta
-an Articulate Malcontent
Responding to the williamsb post of Wednesday, May 01, 2019 at 8:09 PM:
Thanks for sharing that information from the earnings call.
You may be interested to know that CN's OR was already down to 80% in 1996 = post-privatization. That was long before EHH came onto the scene - his reputation on that point is mostly a myth. See the first post in this thread:
http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/t/220120.aspx
- PDN.
Paul, it is the earnings call transcript on CN's web page. That last quote was about page 13 maybe 12.
Paul, this is copied from Seeking Alpha P.12 & 13.
Seldon Clarke
Thanks very much, and just getting back to the margins for a second with everything going on across the industry in regards to PSR. So this is like the floor for OR has been lowered at all from the high 50 level, high 50s level you guys have previously talked about. And if so, do you think CN can return to being the industry leader there?
JJ Ruest
Well, where's the floor, it all depends how much risk you want to take the business. So one can have the lower floor and then take the risk of not being able to meet demand on being able to respond the pressure when demand and harsh conditions come in. So we have a blend and we want to be a cost leader. But the cost leaders also takes things in balance from how we serve our customers and move the economy, but also be a leader that's also looking at the return on invested capital as much as EPS growth, as much as operating ratio. So now the one trick pony of operating ratio only does not necessarily give you the best easiest growth. And when we have investment that can generate a good return on investment capital, taking to cost of capital, we are inclined to do these things as opposed to sit on the sideline and shave off one more point of OR. So this is where we saw it evolving from what we were doing the last 15 years. And we're looking at cost efficiencies, organic growth, some acquisition strong focus on returning invested capital but also strong focus on operating ratio. So what you'll see -- what you're seeing from CN is a more balanced scorecard than strictly pure PSR.
So that’s still at high 50s level is the right way to think about it longer term?
We don't guide on the -- we're not going to get drawn in into the PSR discussion and how low can you go on the limbo contest. We'll leave that for others.
Thanks for finding and sharing that - very informative.
You may want to see the discussion on this thread -
- here: http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/t/275772.aspx
SD70Dude? or anyone, Are they currently doing the 5 miles between the bridges at Entrance? Are they working on Leaman to Niton? Is that the correct spot?
Any good places to get pictures of this in these 2 spots? I plan to be through there at the end of August. Thanks for any help.
I have pictures of the Leaman to Niton section 12 miles that I took at the end of Aug. They were putting in a crossover at MacKay and a lot of work had been done.
I saw that the 5 miles between the bridges at Entrance was in progress.
I have seen pictures of Greenshields to Wainwright, might be done. Anyone know?
I have seen pictures of a new roadbed at Jarrow that was done, as far as I know this was not a section to be done.
Dufault to Clavet SK is reported done.
Atwater to Zeneta is reported done.
Exira to Deer in progress.
Biggar to Neola in progress.
Fenwood to Bailey just needs switches.
Bangor to Waldron was on the list. Any reports?
williamsb I have pictures of the Leaman to Niton section 12 miles that I took at the end of Aug. They were putting in a crossover at MacKay and a lot of work had been done. I saw that the 5 miles between the bridges at Entrance was in progress. I have seen pictures of Greenshields to Wainwright, might be done. Anyone know? I have seen pictures of a new roadbed at Jarrow that was done, as far as I know this was not a section to be done. Dufault to Clavet SK is reported done. Atwater to Zeneta is reported done. Exira to Deer in progress. Biggar to Neola in progress. Fenwood to Bailey just needs switches. Bangor to Waldron was on the list. Any reports?
Greenshields to Wainwright East was cut in on Wednesday.
Niton to Leaman has been operational for about a month. The new switch and signals at Leaman have been positioned to allow for a full set of double crossovers to be installed when that section is eventually extended farther east.
Exira to Deer has been completed. Exira no longer exists as a official station or control point. There is a set off crossovers called "Elk Crossing" several miles west of its former location, these were installed several years ago during the first round of post-Hunter double tracking.
Atwater to Zeneta is indeed done, as is Fenwood to Bailey (this is immediately west of Melville, SK) and Dufault to Clavet (east of Saskatoon).
The 5 miles west of Entrance are still in progress, construction on this section was set back by 2-3 months as the original contractor abruptly went bankrupt earlier this summer, and ceased all work. This may not be completed before winter, but they are working very hard and materials are continuing to arrive.
Thanks for that SD70Dude. Good luck on the labour negotiations.
Does anyone know about the 8 miles to be double tracked near Hawthorne WI this year?
Thanks for the update on the status of construction projects. I will be curious to see what CN's expansion plan is, if any for 2020.
Hello there,
I just got 2020 Canadian Trackside Guide and noticed that the section from Leaman to Niton on the Edson Sub was not listed. Also, the Biggar to Neola section is also not listed. Do you know if either of these sections have been completed by this point?
ADRIAN BALLAM Hello there, I just got 2020 Canadian Trackside Guide and noticed that the section from Leaman to Niton on the Edson Sub was not listed. Also, the Biggar to Neola section is also not listed. Do you know if either of these sections have been completed by this point?
Both have been in service for nearly a year now. Neola has been renamed Newton after a retiring superintendent.
The section at Entrance, AB is still under construction. Tough going in rough, remote terrain and all this rain has not helped.
Brush has been cleared east of both Leaman and Gainford on the east end of the Edson Sub, but no construction has started and I'm not sure if much will happen this year due to pandemic-related budget cuts.
Some grading was done last year between Kinsella and Irma on the west end of the Wainwright Sub, but this too may have been cancelled.
So those two sections, were they missed in the Trackside Guide then since they have been in operation for a year?
Adrian, I have two questions concerning the Robson and the Albreda Subs--which is the original track, and how do the grades on the two compare? On the few trips I have taken through there, the train from Vancouver used only the Albreda Sub, and the train to Vancouver used the Robson sub; coming back from Prince Rupert, we went directly from Harvey to Redpass.
Thank you.
Johnny
The first 20 miles of the Robson Sub is the original GTP to Prince Rupert Tete Jaune Sub. In the 1980's CN built a 9 mile connection to the Albreda Sub near Valemount, originaly the CNoR.
The grade on the GTP was approx 1% and the CNoR about 0.7%
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.