CSMS Message: 97-000360

DUE TO FLOODING ON RAILWAYS IN THE MINNEAPOLIS AREA CANADIAN NATIONAL HAS LOST THE RAIL LINK BETWEEN SUPERIOR, WI AND CHICAGO, IL.

IN ORDER TO GET TRAINS INTO THE USA IT HAS BECOME NECESSARY TO
DIVERT RAIL TRAFFIC ONTO THE LINES OF WISCONSIN CENTRAL AND UNION
PACIFIC RAILWAYS IN MINNESOTA, WISCONSIN AND ILLINOIS. AS THESE
RAILWAYS CANNOT ABSORB ALL OF CANADAIN NATIONAL'S BUSINESS IT WILL BE
NECESSARY TO DIVERT SOME RAIL TRAFFIC ACROSS THE NORTHERN ONTARIO ROUTE.
THIS MEANS SOME RAIL TRAFFIC WHICH WOULD NORMALLY CROSS INTO THE USA AT
RAINER, MN WILL NOW ENTER THE USA AT PORT HURON, MI.

THESE DETOUR TRAINS WILL MOVE FROM WINNIPEG MANITOBA TO TORONTO ONTARIO
WHERE THEY WILL BE BLENDED INTO THE TORONTO-PORT HURON TRAIN SERVICE.

THERE MAY ALSO BE SOME BULK UNIT TRAINS, IE:POTASH, WHICH WILL BYPASS
TORONTO AND MOVE DIRECTLY VIA PORT HURON.

AT THIS TIME CANADIAN NATIONAL EXPECTS TO DIVERT TWO OR THREE TRAINS
PER DAY ON THE DETOUR ROUTE. THE DURATION IS EXPECTED TO BE ABOUT ONE
WEEK BUT MAY VARY DEPENDING ON WEATHER CONDITIONS AND WATER LEVELS.

CANADIAN NATIONAL WILL BE MODIFYING RAIL BILLS OF LADING AND CHANGING
THE PORT CODES TO ENSURE THAT THE ABI DOWNLOADS GO TO THE BROKER AT
THE CORRECT PORT.

RAIL DIVERSION QUESTIONS MAY BE DIRECTED TO THE CANADIAN NATIONAL
TRANSBORDER GROUP AT 1-800-267-9779. ABI QUESTIONS SHOULD BE
DIRECTED TO YOUR ACS CLIENT REPRESENTATIVE.