POTASH: Canpotex to buy 700 new railcars

SASKATOON – Canpotex, Canada's largest exporter of potash, has chosen National Steel Car of Hamilton, ON, to manufacture 700 new railcars designed to transport Saskatchewan potash to coastal ports in North America. The railcars will cost $70 million. This will bring the Canpotex rail fleet to more than 7,000 cars from National Steel Car.

The railcars are designed to conform to the specific properties of potash. The innovative result allows Canpotex to optimize the tonnage per car and maximize the number of cars per train. Canpotex estimates that the use of these cars has increased overall train efficiency more than 90%. Since 2000 Canpotex has doubled annual rail shipments without adding an additional train.

Potash is Canada's largest mineral export and Canpotex currently ships in excess of 10 million t/y, representing approximately $3 billion in annual exports.

Canpotex (Canpotex.com) is the exclusive offshore potash marketing and export company owned by Agrium, Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan, and Mosaic Company.