Canadian National Railway has denied an allegation by Paterson Grain that the railway is exacting retribution against the grain company for its successful service complaint against CN.
CN has asked the Canadian Transportation Agency to rule that regulated interswitching rates should not apply to CN’s movement of BNSF cars from Winnipeg to the United States.
Instead, CN wants to negotiate a commercial switching agreement, a move that some shippers say could price BNSF out of the market.
That would directly affect a Paterson elevator located at Lilyfield, north of Winnipeg.
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In a brief submitted to the CTA opposing CN’s proposal, Paterson noted that the railway filed its application Sept. 25, the same day that the grain company won a service complaint against the rail company.
“It is submitted that this kind of retribution is reprehensible and should not be tolerated in any circumstance,” the grain company said in its submission signed by chief executive officer Andrew Paterson.
CN spokesperson Kelli Svendsen last week denied that the railway is seeking retribution, adding there is no connection between the two cases.
She said CN has been in discussions with BNSF about the interswitching issue for three years, long before Paterson launched its complaint.
She added it was coincidental that the case was filed on the same day the level of service decision was released.
“The key point is we continue to serve the Paterson elevator, carrying BNSF cars to and from Lilyfield at regulated interswitching rates while the matter is before the CTA,” she said.
