MONTREAL - CNW - CN has unveiled an upgraded on-line greenhouse gas-emissions (GHG) calculator that estimates total carbon emissions for shipments across multiple modes of transportation.

The new calculator, located at http://www.cn.ca/ghg_calculator, generates carbon-emission estimates for shipments using a combination of vessel, rail and truck - such as containers moving internationally from Asia to North American destinations along CN’s network - or domestic shipments using a combination of rail and truck or a single mode of transportation.

Normand Pellerin, CN assistant vice-president, Environment, said: “CN is more than a railway - today we offer the marketplace total transportation solutions involving rail, truck, vessel, as well as warehousing and distribution services. Our enhanced GHG calculator is perfectly aligned with our transport products, giving manufacturers, importers, exporters, shippers, wholesalers or retailers full understanding of the carbon footprint of shipments using single or multiple modes of transportation.”

Rail transporation has been shown to be up to six times more energy-efficient than heavy trucks, because rail consumes a fraction of the fuel to transport one tonne of freight one kilometre. Rail transportation can move one tonne of freight 197 kilometres on just one litre of fuel.

CN Intermodal - using a combination of rail and truck - offers the green advantage to shippers not directly served by rail. The intermodal combination for shipments moving more than 1,600 kilometres (1,000 miles), according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), cuts fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions by 65 per cent, compared with using truck alone.

CN has a comprehensive corporate environmental policy and works closely with the rail industry in Canada and the United States and government agencies on ways to reduce its emissions.

The company’s innovative Precision Railroading model, and partnership agreements with other railroads to share assets and deliver interchange traffic at the most efficient gateways, have also increased efficiencies and reduced fuel consumption and emissions. In addition, CN continues to renew its locomotive fleet with modern fuel-efficient replacements that comply with the latest EPA requirements. Through these initiatives, CN has become recognized as the most fuel-efficient railway in North America, making CN the best choice for customers who want to reduce their GHG emissions.

About CN - Canadian National Railway Company and its operating railway subsidiaries - spans Canada and mid-America, from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to the Gulf of Mexico, serving the ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, B.C., Montreal, Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile, Ala., and the key metropolitan areas of Toronto, Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Duluth, Minn./Superior, Wis., Green Bay, Wis., Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, St. Louis, and Jackson, Miss., with connections to all points in North America. For more information on CN, visit the company’s website at http://www.cn.ca/.

For More Information: Canada News Wire (CNW)