As of April 14, 2023 Canadian Pacific (CP) and Kansas City Southern (KCS) have combined to create Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), a news release said. The merger comes following the United States Surface Transportation Board’s approval on March 15 and creates the first single-line railway connecting Canada, the U.S., and Mexico.
“Today, we celebrate this historic combination creating a truly unique single-line rail network that begins a new chapter of railroad history in North America,” Keith Creel, CPKC president and CEO. “As we mark this once-in-a-lifetime occasion by driving the Final Spike in Kansas City, Missouri, where CP and KCS come together, we stand ready to bring new competition into the North American rail industry at a time when our supply chains have never needed it more.”
The new company is headquartered in Calgary, Alta. and is the only railway connecting North America. It has unrivalled port access on coasts around the continent, from Vancouver to Atlantic Canada to the Gulf of Mexico to Lázaro Cárdenas on Mexico’s Pacific coast, the release said. The railway will operate approximately 20,000 miles of rail, and employ close to 20,000 people. Full integration of CP and KCS is expected to take place over the next three years.
“This unmatched CPKC network will give our customers new options and expanded reach to more markets as we provide reliable rail service, take trucks off public roads and raise the bar on rail safety by expanding CP’s industry-leading safety practices,” Creel said.
The release noted CPKC plans capital investments in new infrastructure of more than US$275 million over the next three years. CPKC will also support the expansion of Amtrak and other passenger services on the CPKC network.
