Mark Szakonyi, Associate Editor | Sep 17, 2012 11:19AM EDT
Canadian Pacific Railway has launched intermodal services to Vancouver that will reduce one-day from the route connecting to Toronto and shave two days off the service to Chicago.
The launch of the new faster transcontinental service comes as the railroad works to run 11 percent longer trains by 2013. E. Hunter Harrison, the new CEO of the railroad, is pushing faster intermodal train times and shorter dwell times at terminals, as CP works to catch up with the robust intermodal business of its larger rival Canadian National Railway.
“With lower dwell times in our terminals, more efficient transit times, and optimized asset utilization, we can provide this improved service," said CP Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Jane O'Hagan. “As part of the global supply chain we want to help our customers be more competitive in the markets they serve.”
CP intermodal traffic in the second quarter was flat on a year-over-year basis despite the railroad saying it had recovered market share in its key markets. CN saw intermodal volume jump 13 percent in the same period.
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