Canadian funding for digital infrastructure projects

Canadian National Railway (CN), the Southern Railway of British Columbia, and a consortium of short lines in Saskatchewan and Alberta have been awarded up to C$51.2 million by the Canadian government for digital infrastructure projects. This funding, announced by Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez, is part of the National Trade Corridors Fund and supports 19 projects, many of which will positively impact rail traffic.

Rodriguez emphasized the importance of robust supply chains for affordability, stating that technological innovation will enhance the speed and resilience of these chains. He highlighted that these investments will enable crucial information sharing, benefiting Canadian consumers, workers, and businesses alike.

CN will receive $6.27 million for its Application Programming Interface Program, aimed at reducing carbon emissions by lowering computing power needs, and $767,000 for an Inter-Railway Data Exchange system for sharing train schedule, consist, and crew information. In both cases, CN will match the government funds to advance these projects.

The Southern Railway of British Columbia will get $1.02 million for a $2.17 million project to develop digital solutions for supply chain planning, enhancing pipeline visibility, forecasting, and shipment management. A group of short lines, including the Carlton Trail Railway and others, will receive $583,111 to improve first-last mile visibility through automatic equipment identification readers and yard management software, with matching federal funds from the recipients.