CN sells commuter rail line segment west of Toronto Union Station to
Metrolinx for C$168 million

MONTREAL, March 31 /CNW Telbec/ - CN (TSX: CNR)(NYSE: CNI) announced today the sale of a key section of track west of Toronto Union Station to Metrolinx for C$168 million.

Metrolinx is the Ontario government Crown Corporation responsible for delivering an integrated, multi-modal transportation network in the Greater Toronto Area, from York and Durham regions through Toronto, the regions of Peel and Halton and the city of Hamilton. GO Transit, the operating division of Metrolinx, provides commuter rail and bus services in the GTA.

The transaction will give Metrolinx ownership of a critical section of its busiest GO Transit corridor and one that links Union Station and GO Transit's Willowbrook rail equipment facility in southwest Toronto. The transaction allows CN to preserve certain operating rights over the line segment, which will enable the company to maintain service for its freight customers.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information included in this news release constitutes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and under Canadian securities laws. CN cautions that, by their nature, these forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. The Company cautions that its assumptions may not materialize and that current economic conditions render such assumptions, although reasonable at the time they were made, subject to greater uncertainty.

Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results of performance of the Company or the rail industry to be materially different from the outlook or any future results or performance implied by such statements. Important factors that could affect the above forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the effects of general economic and business conditions, industry competition, inflation, currency and interest rate fluctuations, changes in fuel prices, legislative and/or regulatory developments, compliance with environmental laws and regulations, actions by regulators, various events which could disrupt operations, including natural events such as severe weather, droughts, floods and earthquakes, labor negotiations and disruptions, environmental claims, uncertainties of investigations, proceedings or other types of claims and litigation, risks and liabilities arising from derailments, and other risks detailed from time to time in reports filed by CN with securities regulators in Canada and the United States. Reference should be made to "Management's Discussion and Analysis" in CN's annual and interim reports, Annual Information Form and Form 40-F filed with Canadian and U.S. securities regulators, available on CN's website, for a summary of major risks.

CN assumes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect future events, changes in circumstances, or changes in beliefs, unless required by applicable Canadian securities laws. In the event CN does update any forward-looking statement, no inference should be made that CN will make additional updates with respect to that statement, related maters, or any othe forward-looking statement.

CN - Canadian National Railway Company and its operating railway subsidiaries - spans Canada and mid-America, from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to the Gulf of Mexico, serving the ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, B.C., Montreal, Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile, Ala., and the key metropolitan areas of Toronto, Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Duluth, Minn./Superior, Wis., Green Bay, Wis., Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, St. Louis, and Jackson, Miss., with connections to all points in North America. For more information on CN, visit the company's website at www.cn.ca.

For further information: Media: Mark Hallman, Director, Communications & Public Affairs, [phone]; Investment Community: Robert Noorigian, Vice-President, Investor Relations, [phone]