Canadian National Railway (CN) announced today in Saskatoon that it plans to invest more than $245 million in Saskatchewan in 2019 to expand and strengthen the company's rail network across the province.

The Saskatchewan investments are part of CN's 2019 record $3.9 billion capital investment focused on enabling growth from all commodity segments, including consumer goods, grain, agricultural, forest, and energy products from all of our customers, safely and efficiently. Over two years, CN will have made a $7.4B capital investment.

"Whenever one company invests a quarter billion dollars into Saskatchewan, that's great news. And the fact that this investment by CN will help get our key export products to market faster makes the benefit even greater. This investment continues to demonstrate CN's commitment to our province and their customers who do business here," said Steve McLellan, CEO of the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce.

CN is currently deploying important safety enhancing technologies across its network, such as Autonomous Track Inspection Program, Distributed Air Cars, and Automated Inspection Portals. These innovations, combined with CN's investments in locomotives, capacity, infrastructure, and train crews, will support the safe and efficient movement of our customers' goods to their end markets.

Planned expansion projects include:

• Construction of about 10 miles of double track between near Atwater, east of Melville;

• Construction of about 10 miles of double track near Fenwood, west of Melville;

• Construction of about 8 miles of double track near Biggar, west of Saskatoon; and

• Construction of about 7 miles of double track near Clavet, southeast of Saskatoon.             

Maintenance program highlights include:             

• Replacement of approximately 66 miles of rail

• Installation of approximately 260,000 new railroad ties

• Rebuilds of 21 road crossing surfaces

• Other maintenance work on culverts, signal systems, and additional track infrastructure

CN's Saskatchewan rail network connects agricultural customers across the Prairies to worldwide markets and has major terminals in Saskatoon, Regina, and Melville.

Saskatchewan in numbers:

• Capital investments: Approximately $700 million in the last five years

• Employees: approximately 1,300

• Railroad route miles operated: 1,937

• Community partnerships: $308,000 in 2018

• Local spending: $160 million in 2018

• Cash taxes paid: $44 million in 2018

Source: Canadian National Railway