Canpotex has selected National Steel Car of Hamilton,
Ontario, to manufacture 700 new railcars specially designed to transport
Saskatchewan potash to coastal ports. Canpotex’s investment in these
additional railcars is valued at $70 million. Since 1999, Canpotex has
invested over $500 million to build over 7,000 railcars with National Steel
Car.
“Canpotex’s success is due in part to our 43-year reputation
as a reliable supplier of potash. The quality and innovative design of
the railcars from National Steel Car will ensure we continue to reliably
deliver the potash our global customers need, when they need it,” Canpotex
President and CEO Steve Dechka noted.
Canpotex’s railcars are custom-designed in Canada by
National Steel Car in collaboration with Canpotex to conform to the specific
properties of potash. This innovative design has allowed Canpotex to
optimize the number of tonnes per railcar as well as maximizing the number of
railcars per unit train. The use of these cars by Canpotex has increased
overall train efficiencies by over 90%, resulting in reduced greenhouse gas
emissions as well as enhanced capacities within respective rail
corridors. As a result, since 2000, Canpotex has doubled its annual rail
shipments without adding an additional train and, consequently, without placing
any additional strain on Canada’s rail system.
Mr. Dechka added, “Canadians throughout the country benefit from
the global export of Saskatchewan potash. We are delighted Canpotex’s $70
million investment in railcar capacity will stay in Canada by working with
National Steel Car and their Hamilton employees.”
“We are proud of our strong relationship and 20-year history of
working with and producing industry-leading potash cars for Canpotex,” stated
Gregory J. Aziz, National Steel Car’s Chairman and CEO. “We greatly
appreciate the trust Canpotex has repeatedly placed with our company.
This order alone will secure approximately seven months of employment for over
400 of our 2,400 employees, and will provide significant additional benefits to
our Province.”
Potash is Canada’s largest mineral export and Canpotex currently
ships in excess of 10 million tonnes per year, representing approximately $3
billion in annual exports. Once in service, Canpotex’s railcars will transport
potash from Saskatchewan to Canpotex port facilities in Canada and the United
States, to meet the needs of Canpotex’s customers in 36 global markets.
http://www.canpotex.com/news/2015/06/18/canpotex-selects-national-steel-car-to-manufacture-700-railcars-for-potash-shipments/
http://www.steelcar.com
http://www.steelcar.com
