{"id":310990,"date":"2025-11-03T19:56:22","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T09:56:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=67108"},"modified":"2025-11-03T19:56:22","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T09:56:22","slug":"canadian-national-railway-cuts-costs-and-workforce-against-background-of-us-tariffs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=310990","title":{"rendered":"Canadian National Railway cuts costs and workforce against background of US tariffs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Canadian National Railway (CN Rail) is looking to cut costs and reduce its workforce. The rail freight operator is taking those steps following tariffs imposed by their southern neighbours in the US and despite being in a good financial position.<\/strong>
\n<\/span>Already in summer CN Rail signalled that it was changing its business outlook as a result of the American tariffs. The company saw shipments in forest products, metals and automobiles decline.<\/p>\n

The tariffs have introduced new economic uncertainties, which is prompting CN Rail to take action. \u201cAdjusting cost structures is critical, especially in a soft macro environment, and we\u2019re pursuing all opportunities across our whole work force and asset base\u201d, CN Rail\u2019s CEO Tracy Robinson said earlier as a justification of cost-cutting measures.<\/p>\n

Layoffs and spending<\/h2>\n

CN Rail is therefore planning to lay off managers and slash its capital spending, Canadian media write. The operator has recently fired 400 workers, for a total of 1200 since October 2024. Capital spending plans for 2026 are down by 600 million Canadian dollars (371 million euros) compared to 2025. This year, CN Rail is spending 3.4 billion dollars (2.1 billion euros).<\/p>\n

Despite the workforce and spending cuts, the Canadian rail freight operator is doing well financially. It saw a 5% increase in profit in Q3 2025 and a 1% rise in revenue. Profit for the quarter ending on 30 September was 1.13 billion Canadian dollars (around 700 million euros), compared with 1.09 billion dollars (674 million euros) one year ago.<\/p>\n