Canadian National Railway Company

Canadian National Railway Company (CN) is a freight railroad.

Network and operations:
- It transports more than 300 million tons of natural resources, manufactured products and finished goods across North America each year.
- Its rail network of nearly 20,000 miles (18,900 route miles) connects Canada's Eastern and Western coasts with the U.S. Midwest and the U.S. Gulf Coast.
- It serves major ports including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Halifax.
- U.S. subsidiaries include Grand Trunk Western, Illinois Central, Wisconsin Central, Bessemer & Lake Erie and Iowa Northern; CN took control of Iowa Northern in March 2025.

Revenue mix:
- Freight revenue comes from seven commodity groups: petroleum and chemicals, metals and minerals, forest products, coal, grain and fertilizers, intermodal, and automotive.
- Other revenues come from related services, including vessel operations in the iron ore supply chain.
- About 69% of quarterly revenue originates in Canada.

Workforce:
- CN employs about 17,300 people in Canada (73% unionized).
- It employs about 6,500 people in the U.S. (84% unionized).

Recent developments:
- CN signed an MOU with Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern tied to their proposed merger. It would secure CN's competitive access, including to Kansas City, and rights for Canada–Mexico moves.
- It is selling portions of its Louisiana and Mississippi subdivisions to a short-line operator.
- It is pursuing operational improvements through its Fast Track initiative.
- It is participating in STB proceedings on the proposed Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern merger.

CN trades on the TSX (CNR) and NYSE (CNI). Updated Oct 30, 2026