CN's Kernel of Expansion.(Canadian National Railway)(grain terminal)

BYLINE: John Gallagher

Canadian National Railway opened a $4 million grain terminal in response to the burgeoning specialty grain market.

CN said its Edmonton Grain Distribution Center in Northwest Edmonton, Alberta, will make it more efficient and cost-effective to ship specialty crops such as lentils, beans and peas to ship them in containers.

Previously, Western prairie farmers have had to first load their high-value crops into covered hopper cars and send the cars to Vancouver, where they are emptied and the grain transferred into containers. The stuffed containers are then trucked to dockside for loading onto ships.

Such specialty …