Canadian National Railway Company (NYSE: CNI) is a Class I freight railway that operates an integrated rail network across Canada and the United States. Headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, CN provides long-haul freight transportation and related logistics services that connect major ports, industrial centers and inland markets throughout North America. Its transcontinental system enables cross-border movement of goods and supports supply chains that span coast-to-coast in Canada and into the central and eastern United States.
CN’s core business is the railborne transportation of a broad mix of commodities, including intermodal container traffic, forest and paper products, grain and other agricultural products, metallurgical and industrial products, petroleum and chemical products, coal and automotive shipments. In addition to basic rail haulage, the company offers value-added services such as intermodal terminals, transloading, fleet management and other logistics solutions designed to integrate rail with customers’ broader supply chains. CN emphasizes operational efficiency, network fluidity and service reliability to serve shippers across multiple industry sectors.
Formed in the early 20th century through the consolidation of several government-owned rail lines, Canadian National transitioned to a private company in the mid-1990s and is publicly listed in Canada and the United States. The company is led from its Montreal headquarters by a senior executive team responsible for operations, safety and strategic growth initiatives. CN’s long-standing role as a North American freight carrier, combined with its emphasis on infrastructure investment and customer-facing logistics services, positions it as a central provider in continental goods movement and supply-chain solutions.