Canadian National Railway in New Brunswick

Incorporated1919

Much more information has been written about the Canadian National Railway than I could ever hope to write. This page will attempt to provide an overview of the CNR’s history in New Brunswick.

The CNR was formed from the Canadian Government Railways among others. Order in Council P.C. 3122 mandated the use of the collective title “Canadian National Railways” on December 20, 1918. The “Canadian National Railway Company” was incorporated on June 6, 1919 and became a corporate entity by Order in Council P.C. 2094 on October 4, 1922.

The CNR incorporated the Grand Trunk Railway on January 19, 1923 by Order in Council P.C. 114.

During World War II, CN installed Centralized Traffic Control (CTC) in the Maritimes to handle the increased traffic volume on its single-track main line between Moncton and Halifax.

CN and the Canadian Pacific Railway had been involved in talks to merge their eastern Canadian operations. The talks continued for several years before ending in 1994, shortly before CP withdrew from the Maritimes.
CN was privatized on November 17, 1995 in a very successful public offering.