The Edson Subdivision is more than a stretch of track between Edmonton and Jasper. As the route for all trains to and from Vancouver or Prince Rupert, it carries the products that feed, fuel, and supply millions of people. In 2025, we completed two new double-track segments. Thanks to updates since 2022, the corridor now delivers about 25 percent more capacity to fulfil its vital role in the economy. In practical terms, that means space for more trains a day to move when customers need them most.
Why the Edson Subdivision Matters
- Connects the Prairies to Canada’s two largest export gateways
- Handles a high mix of bulk, resource, and goods traffic
- Supports strong export demand across agriculture, potash, energy, and forest products
- Provides the only direct path for West Coast-bound traffic from CN’s western network
This is one of the busiest and most strategically important stretches of mainline
The Edson Subdivision is more than a stretch of track between Edmonton and Jasper. As the route for all trains to and from Vancouver or Prince Rupert, it carries the products that feed, fuel, and supply millions of people. In 2025, we completed two new double-track segments. Thanks to updates since 2022, the corridor now delivers about 25 percent more capacity to fulfil its vital role in the economy. In practical terms, that means space for more trains a day to move when customers need them most.
For grain shippers, that added room supports the tight vessel windows that define today’s export markets. It helps Prairie harvests reach the world on time and reduces the risk of missing a ship. For energy customers moving toward Ridley Island, it keeps a dependable flow to international buyers who count on Canadian supply of natural gas liquids and propane. The more efficient movement of manifest railcars also supports the movement of lumber, pulp and other forest products destined to west coast ports for export or directly to customer locations in the east and south.
In the Montney region, drilling crews rely on timely deliveries of frac sand—a critical material for work that helps heat millions of Canadian homes. Efficient rail operations on the Edson Subdivision ensure that these deliveries arrive without delay, preventing costly work stoppages and ensuring Canada’s energy supply. Metallurgical coal bound for steelmakers in Asia also moves across this line, supporting the communities whose livelihoods depend on mining and the industries that rely on Canadian steelmaking. Similarly, every container of consumer-packaged goods that crosses this corridor brings essentials to households across Canada and the U.S. Midwest.
These movements travel through Edmonton, one of the network’s busiest hubs. Removing key single-track pinch points around this region means fewer meet-and-pass delays, steadier transit times, better balance and resiliency between Vancouver and Prince Rupert gateways. Even small gains here ripple outward, improving reliability all the way to the ports.
Strategic forecasting and simulation modeling determined where this new double track was added. Expected growth in bulk exports, rising container traffic, and increasing train lengths all pointed to this segment as the place where added capacity would deliver the most value. And now, during peak demand periods, the corridor has more flexibility to absorb surges.
Other improvements along the Edmonton-to-coast route work quietly in the background: longer sidings, upgraded yards, and technology that catches issues early so trains keep moving. Together, they create a more predictable path from inland origins to waiting vessels.
Behind every carload is someone counting on the system to work. A farm family delivering this year’s crop. A technician at a gas terminal preparing a shipment for international markets. A miner whose community depends on steady export flows. A parent looking for stocked shelves at their local store.
This strengthened corridor helps each of them in ways that rarely make headlines but matter every day. The added double track on the Edson Subdivision gives customers a more reliable way to reach the world, supporting the moments that make a difference to people, businesses, and communities across Western Canada.
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