CPKC Faces Setbacks and Progress in Post-Merger Recovery

CPKC continues facing service disruptions after the May 3 system transition, although local performance improved and customer support traffic declined over the past several weeks. This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

The railway reported a 91% local service rate last week, up from a low of 66.3% on May 23. This improvement reflects growing system familiarity among field staff and customers.

CPKC Battles Yard Congestion and Train Delays

Despite local progress, CPKC still struggles with high dwell times and declining manifest train performance. Dwell at Shreveport reached 59.7 hours last week, while New Orleans averaged 52.4 hours.

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Manifest on-time performance now sits at 56%, well below the pre-transition average of 75%. CPKC hopes the recent July 4 traffic lull will help improve speed and corridor fluidity.

In its latest Surface Transportation Board filing, the company reaffirmed that service should normalize by late July. Support inquiries have trended down, showing broader recovery signs.

CPKC Impact Still Felt by Chemical Shippers

Petrochemical customers continue facing delays due to disrupted freight schedules. Many shippers resorted to trucks or rerouted loads via other carriers, increasing costs and complexity.

According to the American Chemistry Council’s Jeffrey Sloan, CPKC communicates with clients but places the burden on them. He called the disruptions “significant” for firms using the legacy KCS network.

Senior CPKC staff remain deployed at high-impact yards in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. While on-site presence helps, customers and regulators remain cautiously optimistic about the July recovery goal.

Source: www.trains.com

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