CN names Harris Chief Operating Officer

CN has announced the appointment of Edmond (Ed) Harris as Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Harris succeeds Rob Reilly, effective immediately.

Since April 2022, Mr. Harris, a highly respected industry veteran, has worked closely with the entire CN operations leadership team on the company's operational and service excellence initiatives, as the team delivered meaningful rail operations performance and customer service improvements.

“We are very pleased to be able to leverage Ed's experience and capabilities as we continue to improve the delivery of safe and reliable freight transportation services to our customers. CN has made strides in improving our operational performance this year, and our team is ready and committed to take that performance to the next level. Ed will provide leadership and unparalleled experience as we advance into the next phase of our scheduled operating plan. Ed’s guidance and mentorship will also be key assets as we transition to the next generation of operations leaders at CN and position ourselves for the future,” said Tracy Robinson, President and Chief Executive Officer, CN

Harris has been one of the railroad industry’s top executives during a career in operations that spans 40 years, including over three decades working at Illinois Central and CN, including as Executive Vice-President, operations until 2007. Prior to joining CN in a consulting capacity earlier this year, Mr. Harris served as Executive Vice President, Operations, at CSX from 2018 to 2020. He also previously served as Chief Operations Officer of Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) from 2010 to 2012.

Rob Reilly joined CN in 2019 and led the operating team through the global pandemic and supply chain challenges.