National Steel snares contract to build 1,150 CN Rail grain cars
Railway operator says the deal brings to $1 billion the amount it plans to invest in Ontario
MONTREAL — Canadian National Railway Co. has awarded a contract for 1,150 grain cars to National Steel Car Ltd. in Hamilton.
The railroad operator says the deal brings to $1 billion the amount it plans to invest in Ontario by the end of 2022, including $250 million to build a proposed logistics hub in Milton.
The order for the high-efficiency hopper cars comes amid a year of record grain movement at both CN and rival Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd.
The surging statistics are thanks largely to grain held over from last year following a late harvest as well as insatiable global demand for bread and pasta amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
CN said earlier this month it hauled more than 30 million tonnes of grain in 2019-20, a seven-per-cent increase from the previous year.
CP moved 10% more grain, at 29.5 million tonnes.
