Canadian National Railway Careers

As another one of the seven, large Class I systems, Canadian National Railway careers can vary widely depending on what field you have the most interest. The Canadian National Railway is a relatively new Class I railroad having its roots only dating back to 1918. However, for years it was under the control of the Canadian government and has only been a private, independent company since 1995. Over the years CN has merged or purchased two US railroads, including the Illinois Central and Elgin, Joliet & Eastern. Because of these purchases CN now stretches all of the way across southern Canada from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Prince Rupert, British Columbia and also reaches down the heart of the continental United States to New Orleans, connecting Memphis and Chicago along the way.

Canadian National C44-9W #2672 and a quartet of other power lead a freight through Oshawa Yard in Oshawa, Ontario on March 16, 2005. On the bridge in the background can be seen a Canadian Pacific freight.

I must admit that I am not as familiar with the Canadian systems, like Canadian Pacific, as I am with the American Class Is (and railroading in general). However, I can tell you that as one of the largest seven Northern American railroads CN offers a wide range of career opportunities from in-the-field jobs (including maintenance and transportation) to office and management positions. Unfortunately, I do not believe CN offers internship positions for college students. However, they do offer scholarships, which you may want to look into if you are already in college or plan to attend.

In terms of revenue, the Canadian National Railway is the fifth largest Class I in North America. While the railroad stretches from ocean to ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, it actually serves only a very narrow market. For instance, its main line between Chicago and New Orleans is quite confined serving only Memphis along the way. Similarly, its main line across Canada only serves the largest markets today since the railroad has since shed much of its branch line, secondary, and commuter trackage. As such, finding a position with CN can be a bit tougher than with a larger Class I like CSX, Union Pacific, or BNSF.

CN GP9 #4209 and a long parade of other power works a freight past the station in London, Ontario on September 17, 1989. Note the CN headquarters in the background.

If you are interested in Canadian National Railway careers in the fields maintenance and/or transportation please keep in mind that operating across borders makes the railroad unique. As a US citizen you can only be assigned to CN's American lines, anywhere between Minnesota and Louisiana while as a Canadian citizen you can only be assigned to its Canadian lines. It's interesting that when approaching borders CN trains change crews from Canadian to American and vice-versa.

To give you an idea of what it means to be a "Class I" railroad, it terms those very few companies which are the largest in terms of both size and profits. Aside from CN they include Canadian Pacific, CSX Transportation, Kansas City Southern, Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific, and BNSF Railway. For more information regarding these companies and Class I railroads in general please click here to visit the section of the website which more thoroughly covers the topic.

If you are interested in a job with either Canadian National Railway's transportation or maintenance departments (which include jobs like engineer, conductor, signal maintainer, and general maintenance-of-way positions) please let me stress that railroading is not for everyone and truly requires a lot of dedication to make a career of it. Usually these in-the-field railroaders spend countless hours away from home, which can make it difficult on home life. Of course, railroading also offers plenty of incentives as well including excellent pay, benefits and retirement.

To search for Canadian National Railway careers please feel free to use the search box below from Indeed.com, one of the leading online career resource guides. Also, if you would like to search Canadian National Railway careers directly please click here to visit the company's official careers page (it also includes information regarding available scholarships).

what	where
job title, keywords or company	city, state or zip jobs by

CN yard and road rest for a moment between assignments at Aldershot Yard in Aldershot, Ontario on June 2, 2003.

Lastly, if a career in railroading is right for you but you would like to learn more about what it takes to work in the industry you might want to consider the book Working on the Railroad from noted author Brian Solomon. Solomon's book details the history of working in the railroad industry and the difficulties and hardship employees faced back then as well as today. After reading this book you should have no doubts about whether working in the industry is something you are truly interested in. In any event, if you're interested in perhaps purchasing this book please visit the link below which will take you to ordering information through Amazon.com, the trusted online shopping network.