CN announced Monday that it plans to invest approximately $20-million across New Brunswick this year, focusing on rebuilding and strengthening bridges, the replacement of rail and ties, rebuilding road crossing surfaces as well as maintenance work on culverts, signal systems and other track infrastructure.
“The company remains committed to helping enable supply chains that fuel New Brunswick’s growth as we are a critical part of getting everyday goods to markets and consumers,” said Derek Taylor, Vice-President, Eastern Region at CN, in a release. “Safety is a core value at CN and by investing in the maintenance and expansion of our track and capacity, we are providing customers with a safe and reliable solution at a time when fluid supply chains are more critical than ever.”
CN says its investments will create greater capacity, which will help lower greenhouse gas emissions in the shipping sector by encouraging the use of rail for long haul needs. It says shipping by rail reduces emissions by 75 percent because one freight train can replace over 300 trucks from roads
The $20-million maintenance program highlights include:
- Replacement of 8 miles of rail.
- Installation of approximately 10,000 new railroad ties
- Rebuilds of 5 road crossing surfaces
- Maintenance work on bridges, culverts, signal systems, and other track infrastructure
CN, which employs around 320 people in New Brunswick, handles consumer goods and other intermodal traffic through its terminal in Moncton. Other CN facilities in Moncton include a major rail classification yard as well as an automotive distribution centre and a CargoFlo bulk handling facility. CN’s network extends to the ports of Belledune and Saint John, where the company has another CargoFlo bulk handling facility.
This story was originally published in Huddle, an Acadia Broadcasting content partner.