CN highlights fleet reliability, technology advances in winter plan

CN yesterday published its 2026-2027 Winter Plan, outlining how the company is preparing for the impending cold weather through investments in equipment, people and technology.

"Winter readiness is built into how we run the railway all year. We prepare our people, equipment and network well before winter arrives so that when conditions change, we can respond quickly, protect network fluidity and keep delivering safely and reliably for our customers," said CN President and CEO Tracy Robinson in a press release.

CN is conducting predictive maintenance on its fleet of more than 100 distributed air-braking cars. This includes the replacement of 21 engines and compressors, and fleet-wide modifications designed to improve air-car performance in extremely cold temperatures.

The railroad is also advancing high-flow brake system technology, which uses multiple air sources along a train to help maintain stable brake pressure when air leakage increases in the cold. CN is seeking a permanent regulatory exemption for the technology in Canada after years of demonstrating its safety advantages, company officials said. Trains traveling between Chicago and Winnipeg, Manitoba, will operate with higher airflow this year under a two-year U.S. regulatory waiver.

Additionally, CN is strengthening its ability to respond quickly to severe weather by staging mechanical and engineering resources, snow-clearing equipment, backup power, critical materials and locomotives in strategic locations ahead of winter.

The winter plan also emphasizes the role of collaboration across the entire supply chain. Accurate customer forecasts, safe and prepared facilities, and fluid traffic movement at ports and terminals are critical for keeping goods moving when winter conditions reduce available capacity, CN officials said.