45-885: Canadian National Hotels was a hotel chain under control by Canadian National Railways . In addition to their own hotels, it acquired some from predecessor railway companies like the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway , Grand Trunk Railway and Ottawa, Arnprior and Parry Sound Railway . Some of their assets were later acquired by rival Canadian Pacific Hotels after 1988. Surviving hotels [ edit ] Fairmont Hotels and Resorts [ edit ] [REDACTED] Château Laurier, Ottawa, Ontario [REDACTED] Hotel Vancouver, Vancouver, British Columbia [REDACTED] Newfoundland Hotel, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Château Laurier Ottawa, Ontario , 1923–1988 – Built for Grand Trunk Railway and now part of
90-469: A Canadian corporation. Following the successful IPO, CN has recorded impressive gains in its stock price, largely through an aggressive network rationalization and purchase of newer more fuel-efficient locomotives. Numerous branch lines were shed in the late 1990s across Canada, resulting in dozens of independent short line railway companies being established to operate former CN track that had been considered marginal. This network rationalization resulted in
135-690: A blue-plate tourist service, the Rocky Mountaineer , with fares well over double what the BCR coach fares had been. CN also announced in October 2003 an agreement to purchase Great Lakes Transportation (GLT), a holding company owned by Blackstone Group for US$ 380 million. GLT was the owner of Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad , Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway (DM&I), and the Pittsburgh & Conneaut Dock Company. The key instigator for
180-467: A core east–west freight railway stretching from Halifax to Chicago and Toronto to Vancouver and Prince Rupert . The railway also operated trains from Winnipeg to Chicago using trackage rights for part of the route south of Duluth. In addition to the rationalization in Canada, the company also expanded in a strategic north–south direction in the central United States . In 1998, in an era of mergers in
225-627: A great deal of public and political attention. Canada was one of many nations to engage in railway nationalization in order to safeguard critical transportation infrastructure during the First World War . In the early 20th century, many governments were taking a more interventionist role in the economy, foreshadowing the influence of economists like John Maynard Keynes . This political trend, combined with broader geo-political events, made nationalization an appealing choice for Canada. The Winnipeg General Strike of 1919 and allied involvement in
270-479: A luxury accommodation for upper-class railway travellers. Constructed at a strategic location on Broadway , just one block from GTPR's Union Station , the hotel was one of many hotels built by Canadian railway companies in the early 20th century to encourage tourists to travel their transcontinental routes. Initially, the new hotel was to be called "The Selkirk Hotel" after the Selkirk Settlers , but
315-613: A north–south NAFTA railway (in reference to the North American Free Trade Agreement ). CN was then feeding Canadian raw material exports into the U.S. heartland and beyond to Mexico through a strategic alliance with Kansas City Southern Railway (KCS). In 1999, CN and BNSF Railway , the second largest rail system in the U.S., announced their intent to merge, forming a new corporate entity North American Railways , headquartered in Montreal to conform to
360-528: A possible merger of the two companies. This was later rejected by the Government of Canada, whereupon CPR offered to purchase outright all of CN's lines from Ontario to Nova Scotia, while an unidentified U.S. railroad (rumoured to have been Burlington Northern Railroad ) would purchase CN's lines in western Canada. This too was rejected. In 1995, the entire company including its U.S. subsidiaries reverted to using CN exclusively. The CN Commercialization Act
405-774: Is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec , which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States . CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue and the physical size of its rail network, spanning Canada from the Atlantic coast in Nova Scotia to the Pacific coast in British Columbia across approximately 20,000 route miles (32,000 km) of track. In
450-2453: Is now subject to future re-development Prince Edward Hotel, Brandon, Manitoba 1916–1949 – demolished, later used for parking and now site of Kristopher Campbell Memorial Skateboard Plaza See also [ edit ] Canada's grand railway hotels Canadian Pacific Hotels 1886-2001 Grand Trunk Railway Hotels 1912-1923 Fairmont Hotels and Resorts 2001–present References [ edit ] Canadian National Railways Pictou Lodge Resorts Fort Garry Hotel Rodd Charlottetown Prince Arthur Waterfront Hotel and Resort A Walking Tour of Brandon v t e Grand railway hotels of Canada City hotels The Bessborough Hotel Charlottetown The Empress Fort Garry Hotel Château Frontenac Château Laurier Lord Nelson Hotel Hotel Macdonald Hotel Newfoundland Hotel Nova Scotian Palliser Hotel Prince Arthur Hotel Queen Elizabeth Hotel Royal York Hotel Saskatchewan Hotel Vancouver Place Viger Windsor Hotel Resort hotels The Algonquin Banff Springs Hotel Digby Pines Resort Highland Inn Jasper Park Lodge Château Lake Louise Château Montebello Prince of Wales Hotel [REDACTED] Hotels portal • [REDACTED] Canada portal Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Canadian_National_Hotels&oldid=1196791617 " Categories : Canadian National Railway hotels Fairmont Hotels and Resorts Hotel chains in Canada Lists of hotels in Canada Hidden categories: All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from October 2020 All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from November 2023 Articles with permanently dead external links Canadian National Railways The Canadian National Railway Company ( French : Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada ) ( reporting mark CN )
495-605: The CN Commercialization Act of 1995. The merger announcement by CN's Paul Tellier and BNSF's Robert Krebs was greeted with skepticism by the U.S. government's Surface Transportation Board (STB), and protested by other major North American rail companies, namely CPR and Union Pacific Railroad (UP). Rail customers also denounced the proposed merger, following the confusion and poor service sustained in southeastern Texas in 1998 following UP's purchase of Southern Pacific Railroad two years earlier. In response to
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#1732791595121540-591: The Connecticut River valley from Quebec to Long Island Sound ; and the Berlin subdivision to Portland, Maine , known informally as the Grand Trunk Eastern , sold to a short-line operator in 1989. In 1992, a new management team led by ex-federal government bureaucrats, Paul Tellier and Michael Sabia , started preparing CN for privatization by emphasizing increased productivity. This
585-585: The Russian Revolution seemed to validate the continuing process. The need for a viable rail system was paramount in a time of civil unrest and foreign military action. Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad The B&LE was acquired with the purchase of Great Lakes Transportation and the DM&;IR. British Columbia Railway In 2003, BCOL sold to Canadian National and leased the railroad to CN for 60 years. Central Vermont Railway Central Vermont
630-660: The Crystal Casino. The casino only operated for approximately 10 years, as the hotel's owners urged the government to remove it. In 2009, the hotel came under new ownership and was rebranded as the Fort Garry Hotel, Spa and Conference Centre. In August 2020, The Fort Garry became part of Choice Hotels' Ascend Collection , under managing partners Richard Bel and Ida Albo , along with the Laberge Group out of Quebec City. According to local folklore,
675-1197: The Fairmont chain as Fairmont Château Laurier Jasper Park Lodge Jasper, Alberta , 1923–1988 – Built for Canadian National Railway and now part of the Fairmont chain as Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge The Macdonald Edmonton, Alberta , 1923–1988 – Built for Grand Trunk Pacific Railway and now part of the Fairmont chain as Fairmont Hotel Macdonald Hotel Vancouver Vancouver, British Columbia , 1939–1988 – jointly operated with CP Hotels 1939–1962. Now part of Fairmont chain as Fairmont Hotel Vancouver Queen Elizabeth Hotel Montreal, Quebec , 1958–1988 – now part of Fairmont chain as Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth with building owned by Ivanhoé Cambridge . Delta Hotels [ edit ] The Bessborough Saskatoon, Saskatchewan 1928–1972 – now owned by Delta Hotels as Delta Bessborough Hotel Beauséjour Moncton, New Brunswick 1972–1988 – now owned by Delta Hotels as Delta Beauséjour with building owned by Legacy Hotels Real Estate Investment Trust Others [ edit ] Newfoundland Hotel St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador 1949–1982. (Old hotel
720-566: The Montreal commuter trains are now operated by Montreal's EXO . On November 17, 1995, the Government of Canada privatized CN. Over the next decade, the company expanded significantly into the United States, purchasing Illinois Central Railroad and Wisconsin Central Transportation , among others. The excessive construction of railway lines in Canada led to significant financial difficulties striking many of them, in
765-511: The U.S. rail industry, CN bought the Illinois Central Railroad (IC), which connected the already existing lines from Vancouver , British Columbia, to Halifax , Nova Scotia, with a line running from Chicago, Illinois, to New Orleans , Louisiana. This single purchase of IC transformed CN's entire corporate focus from being an east–west uniting presence within Canada (sometimes to the detriment of logical business models) into
810-649: The deal was the fact that since the Wisconsin Central purchase, CN was required to use DM&I trackage rights for a short 18 km (11 mi) "gap" near Duluth, Minnesota , on the route between Chicago and Winnipeg. To purchase this short section, CN was told by GLT it would have to purchase the entire company. Also included in GLT's portfolio were eight Great Lakes vessels for transporting bulk commodities such as coal and iron ore as well as various port facilities. Following Surface Transportation Board approval for
855-598: The government. Primarily a freight railway, CN also operated passenger services until 1978, when they were assumed by Via Rail . The only passenger services run by CN after 1978 were several mixed trains (freight and passenger) in Newfoundland , and several commuter trains both on CN's electrified routes and towards the South Shore in the Montreal area (the latter lasted without any public subsidy until 1986). The Newfoundland mixed trains lasted until 1988, while
900-487: The hotel was briefly owned by the City of Winnipeg, before being acquired in early 1988 by a company controlled by Quebec hotelier Raymond Malenfant . The company purchased the hotel for $ 1 million with the promise of spending $ 12 million to renovate it. The hotel reopened in mid-1988 with a black-tie soiree of 750 guests. In the 1990s, the hotel converted its two ballrooms into a provincial government-run casino , called
945-442: The largest single shareholder of CN stock, owning a 14.2% interest through Cascade Investment and his own Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation . From 1919 to 1978, the railway was known as "Canadian National Railways" (CNR). The Canadian National Railways (CNR) was incorporated on June 6, 1919, comprising several railways that had become bankrupt and fallen into Government of Canada hands, along with some railways already owned by
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#1732791595121990-468: The late 20th century, CN gained extensive capacity in the United States by taking over such railroads as the Illinois Central . CN is a public company with 22,600 employees and, as of July 2024 , a market cap of approximately US$ 75 billion. CN was government-owned, as a Canadian Crown corporation , from its founding in 1919 until being privatized in 1995. As of 2019 , Bill Gates was
1035-777: The northernmost trackage of the contiguous North American railway network. Since being purchased by CN in 2006, it has been officially known as the Meander River Subdivision. Newfoundland Railway On 31 March 1949, CNR acquired the assets of the Newfoundland Railway , which in 1979 were reorganized into Terra Transport . CN officially abandoned its rail network in Newfoundland on 1 October 1988. Savage Alberta Railway On December 1, 2006, CN announced that it had purchased Savage Alberta Railway for $ 25 million and that it had begun operating
1080-473: The only surviving remnant from that era in Winnipeg. It was designated as a National Historic Site of Canada in 1981, and as a Manitoba Provincial Heritage Site in 1990. A national heritage park connected to the hotel and to the remains of Upper Fort Garry was completed in 2017-2018. The Fort Garry Hotel was built between 1911 and 1913 by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway in order to service as
1125-501: The owner of EWS , the principal freight train operator in the United Kingdom. On May 13, 2003, the provincial government of British Columbia announced the provincial Crown corporation , BC Rail (BCR), would be sold with the winning bidder receiving BCR's surface operating assets (locomotives, cars, and service facilities). The provincial government is retaining ownership of the tracks and right-of-way. On November 25, 2003, it
1170-771: The rail industry, shippers, and political pressure, the STB placed a 15-month moratorium on all rail-industry mergers, effectively scuttling CN-BNSF plans. Both companies dropped their merger applications and have never refiled. After the STB moratorium expired, CN purchased Wisconsin Central (WC) in 2001, which allowed the company's rail network to encircle Lake Michigan and Lake Superior , permitting more efficient connections from Chicago to western Canada. The deal also included Canadian WC subsidiary Algoma Central Railway (ACR), giving access to Sault Ste. Marie and Michigan's Upper Peninsula . The purchase of Wisconsin Central also made CN
1215-918: The railway the same day. TransX Group of Companies In 2018, CN acquired the Winnipeg-based TransX Group of Companies. Transx continues to operate independently. Wisconsin Central Railroad In January 2001, CN acquired the WC for $ 800 million. CN's railway network in the late 1980s consisted of the company's Canadian trackage, along with the following U.S. subsidiary lines: Grand Trunk Western Railroad (GTW) operating in Michigan , Indiana , and Illinois ; Duluth, Winnipeg and Pacific Railway (DWP) operating in Minnesota ; Central Vermont Railway (CV) operating down
1260-572: The sale of BC Rail. Also contested was the economic stimulus package the government gave cities along the BC Rail route. Some saw it as a buy-off to get the municipalities to cooperate with the lease, though the government asserted the package was intended to promote economic development along the corridor. Passenger service along the route had been ended by BC Rail a few years earlier due to ongoing losses resulting from deteriorating service. The cancelled passenger service has subsequently been replaced by
1305-423: The system was more or less finalized at that point. However, certain related lawsuits were not resolved until as late as 1936. Canadian National Railways was born out of both wartime and domestic urgency. Until the rise of the personal automobile and creation of taxpayer-funded all-weather highways, railways were the only viable long-distance land transportation available in Canada. As such, their operation consumed
1350-414: The transaction shortly thereafter. The EJ&E lines create a bypass around the western side of heavily congested Chicago-area rail hub and its conversion to use for mainline freight traffic is expected to alleviate substantial bottlenecks for both regional and intercontinental rail traffic subject to lengthy delays entering and exiting Chicago freight yards. The purchase of the lightly used EJ&E corridor
1395-460: The transaction, CN completed the purchase of GLT on May 10, 2004. On December 24, 2008, the STB approved CN's purchase for $ 300 million of the principal lines of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway Company (EJ&E) ( reporting mark EJE) from the U.S. Steel Corporation , originally announced on September 27, 2007. The STB's decision was to become effective on January 23, 2009, with a closure of
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1440-623: The two railroads were formally amalgamated into the CN system. Iowa Northern Railway In 2023, CN acquired the Iowa Northern Railway , but the transaction is awaiting approval by the Surface Transportation Board (STB). Mackenzie Northern Railway In 2006, CN acquired Mackenzie Northern Railway , previously purchased by RailAmerica . This purchase allowed CN to increase their network footprint and hold
1485-555: The years leading up to 1920: The Canadian National Railway Company then evolved through the following steps: GTR management and shareholders opposed to nationalization took legal action, but after several years of arbitration, the GTR was finally absorbed into the CNR on January 30, 1923. Although several smaller independent railways would be added to the CNR in subsequent years as they went bankrupt or it became politically expedient to do so,
1530-435: Was achieved largely through aggressive cuts to the company's management structure, widescale layoffs in its workforce and continued abandonment or sale of its branch lines. In 1993 and 1994, the company experimented with a rebranding that saw the names CN , Grand Trunk Western , and Duluth, Winnipeg, and Pacific replaced under a collective CN North America moniker. In this time, CPR and CN entered into negotiations regarding
1575-488: Was announced CN's bid of CA$ 1 billion would be accepted over those of CPR and several U.S. companies. The transaction was closed effective July 15, 2004. Many opponents – including CPR – accused the government and CN of rigging the bidding process, though this has been denied by the government. Documents relating to the case are under court seal, as they are connected to a parallel marijuana grow-op investigation connected with two senior government aides also involved in
1620-840: Was constructed in the " château style" (also termed the "neo-château" or " châteauesque " style), making it Manitoba’s only example of this architectural style. At the time of completion, the 13-storey hotel was the tallest structure in the city. The Fort Garry Hotel opened to the public at a grand ball on 10 December 1913, what the Manitoba Free Press called an "opening ball of great brilliancy." The hotel's early prominence led it to have many famous guests, including Nelson Eddy , Harry Belafonte , Charles Laughton , Laurence Olivier , Liberace , Arthur Fiedler , Louis Armstrong , Gordie Howe , Lester Pearson , as well as King George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth , who stayed during their 1939 royal tour of Canada . The hotel
1665-409: Was enacted into law on July 13, 1995, and by November 28, 1995, the Government of Canada had completed an initial public offering (IPO) and transferred all of its shares to private investors. Two key prohibitions in this legislation include, 1) that no individual or corporate shareholder may own more than 15% of CN, and 2) that the company's headquarters must remain in Montreal , thus maintaining CN as
1710-547: Was instead named after Upper Fort Garry , which once stood at the junction of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers. It was designed by Montreal architects George Ross and David MacFarlane , who modelled their original plans for the hotel after Ottawa 's Château Laurier ; plans originally called for a 10-storey structure, but two floors were added during construction. Like the Laurier and other Canadian railway hotels , The Fort Garry
1755-479: Was later owned by the Canadian National Railway after Grand Trunk was nationalized and absorbed into CN. In 1979, the hotel was purchased by the prominent John Draper Perrin family of Winnipeg, who operated it as an independent hotel until 1987. In 1987, the hotel owed CA$ 2.5 million in taxes and was in "urgent need of renovations to bring it up to modern-day standards." During this time,
1800-607: Was merged with Central Vermont in 1971 with the creation of the Grand Trunk Corporation. In 1991 the GTW was merged with CN under the "North America" consolidation program. Many of GTWs locomotives and rolling stock would be repainted and the motive power would get the new CN scheme. Illinois Central Railroad In 1998, IC was purchased by CN, which also acquired the Chicago Central in the deal. A year later,
1845-645: Was nationalized in 1918 and consolidated into the Grand Trunk Western in 1971 with the creation of the Grand Trunk Corporation. Duluth Missabe & Iron Range Railroad The DM&IR was purchased by Great Lakes Transportation and in 2011 the DM&IR was merged into CN's Wisconsin Central Subsidiary. The DM&IR was acquired at the same time as the Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad. Duluth Winnipeg & Pacific Railroad The DWP
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1890-570: Was nationalized with CN in 1918 and became a part of CN's Grand Trunk Corporation in 1971. In 2011 the DWP was merged into the larger Wisconsin Central Subsidiary of CN. Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway In 2009, CN acquired the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway to assist with traffic congestion in Chicago and the surrounding area. In 2013 EJ&E was merged into the greater Wisconsin Central Subsidiary of CN. Grand Trunk Western Railroad The GTW
1935-508: Was positioned by CN as a boon not only for its own business but for the efficiency of the entire U.S. rail system. Fort Garry Hotel The Fort Garry Hotel —officially the Fort Garry Hotel, Spa and Conference Centre —is an early-20th-century hotel in downtown Winnipeg , Manitoba, that opened for the first time on December 11, 1913. Built by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway , it is one of Canada's grand railway hotels and
1980-507: Was reforested with red pine Grand Beach Hotel, Grand Beach, Manitoba , – built by Canadian Northern Railway , opened 1916. Operated by lessee in later years of Canadian National ownership until 1961; hotel gone sometime after 1961 and area known as Grand Beach Provincial Park . The site is now a wooded area of Point Grand Marais. Minaki Lodge , Minaki, Ontario 1923-1950s; Built for Grand Trunk Pacific Railway and later sold to Government of Ontario; main lodge burned down 2003 and site
2025-1441: Was replaced by a new one that CN operated from 1982 to 1988. Sold off to Canadian Pacific Hotels in 1988.) and later operated as Fairmont Newfoundland; now part of Sheraton Hotels chain as Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland The Nova Scotian , Halifax, Nova Scotia , 1928-1988? - now operated by Westin Hotels The Charlottetown Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island , 1931-1980s - now owned by Rodd Hotels and Resorts and operated as Rodd Charlottetown Pictou Lodge Pictou, Nova Scotia , - originally built as Wentworth Lodge by The Bungalow Camps Company and auction to CNR in 1926; sold 1957 and now operates as independent Pictou Lodge Resorts The Fort Garry Winnipeg, Manitoba , 1923-1979 - Built for Grand Trunk Pacific Railway and now operated as an independent hotel Prince Arthur Hotel Port Arthur, Ontario , 1911-1988 - now independent hotel and resort L'Hotel , Toronto, Ontario , 1984–1988; later as Crowne Plaza Hotel and now as InterContinental Toronto Centre Demolished hotels [ edit ] Highland Inn , Algonquin Provincial Park 1923-1932 – Built for Ottawa, Arnprior and Parry Sound Railway and later owned by CN Rail (1923–1931) and last owned by Government of Ontario; dismantled and burned 1957; area
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