CN, NS disclose Midwest interchange service

Canadian National Inc. and Norfolk Southern Corp. made public Friday an interchange service that circumvents the notorious Chicago chokepoint for carload traffic, a move the railroads said will shave up to two days off transit times for freight moving between western Canada and Norfolk Southern destination points in the U.S.

The service, which was established in August, interchanges two daily eastbound and two westbound trains connecting CN's network in western Canada with Norfolk Southern's rail yard in Elkhart, Ind., 111 miles east of Chicago. This avoids extra handlings in the congested Chicago terminal, the railroads said.

CN and Norfolk Southern are among six major U.S. and Canadian railroads that converge in Chicago to exchange railcars and interchange them onto new trains headed to different destinations.