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CN and the Montreal Gateway Terminals Partnership (MGT), which operates two container terminals at the Port of Montreal, are relying on closer collaboration and innovation to drive supply-chain efficiencies and customer service improvements, officials of both companies said in a joint statement.

Since August 2010, ocean terminal dwell — or the average time it takes for a container to be placed on a rail car after it’s unloaded from a vessel at a MGT terminal — has declined by about 40 percent, they said. In addition, the ratio of CN rail cars available at the terminal compared with the number of discharged containers awaiting a rail shipment has improved more than 200 percent.

CN's contributions to the effort include timelier car supply, improved car blocking and increased customer communication, said Jean-Jacques Ruest, the Class I’s executive vice president and chief marketing officer. The result: a “clockwork operation” in which 95 percent of all cargo is loaded onto a rail car and heading to inland destinations within 72 hours, he said.

“Since we first committed ourselves to a stronger working relationship with key stakeholders at the Port of Montreal a year ago in an effort to boost efficiencies and service, we, along with MGT, have delivered continuous improvement in our performance,” said Ruest. “The goal is to better serve our mutual customers and to increase the competitiveness of the port.”

In February, CN, the Montreal Port Authority and two terminal operating companies reached two level-of-service agreements aimed at boosting supply-chain efficiencies at the port.