INNOVATING OUR WAY FORWARD
At this time of year, it’s tempting to look back. (And there will be time for that later this week.) But Canadian railroaders are always looking forward and finding a way through. That ethos is at the core of rail’s continuous drive to innovate and problem-solve.
Who else could look at the Rockies in the late 19th century and say, ‘let’s put some tunnels and track through there’ as a question of nation-building?
Who else could find ways to replace kilometres of washed-out mainline within days at the height of the most recent pandemic?
Who else could respond to global supply chain challenges by moving even more product across Canada to waiting Canadians or customers overseas, as the latest Rail Trends report shows?
Railroaders innovate daily. It’s part of the DNA. But it is also a gift from which all Canadians benefit, whether they realize it or not.
Many don’t, sadly.
Not everyone seems to fully grasp the extent to which rail is changing while still delivering reliably. That is where your RAC team comes in.
We’re more than happy, and indeed very proud, to tell the stories of Canadian railroaders to anyone who will listen. (See my latest op-eds in the Hill Times and Western Producer as just two examples.) Whether it’s supply chain contributions, safety, sustainability or innovation – your stories change minds, compel and inspire.
In 2023, we are committed to doing an even better job of telling those stories and building coalitions of people who also ‘get it.’ More on that very soon. (Suffice it to say, we’re innovating too!)
For now, I invite you to read on for stories of innovation in action – at our largest member-companies and across the sector. We’re talking everything from macro-level decarbonization to saving clams off the BC coast.
In ways big and small, these are your innovation stories. And collectively, they are making a real impact.
Sincerely,
Marc