Business

CN steps up with $33B offer for Kansas City Southern, besting CP's $25B bid

Canadian National Railway Co. is trying to buy U.S. railway Kansas City Southern out from under the nose of rival Canadian Pacific, which launched a takeover offer of its own for the U.S. carrier last month.

CN steps up to offer more than rival CP for U.S. railway

A train can be seen behind a chain-link fence. It is a file photo.
CN Rail is trying to buy Kansas City Southern railway, weeks after the latter signalled its intent to merge with CN's rival CP. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)

Canadian National Railway Co. has offered to buy U.S. railway Kansas City Southern in a cash-and-stock bid valued at $33.7 billion US.

The offer of $325 a share plus agreeing to take over $3.8 billion worth of KCS's debt tops a proposal made by Canadian Pacific Railway for KCS last month, one that offered $275 a share for a total price tag of $25 billion.

The move would bring ports and rail lines in the United States, Mexico and Canada together under one network to create the most far-reaching transportation networks in North America.

"CN and KCS have highly complementary networks with limited overlap that will enable them to accelerate growth in single-owner, single-operator, end-to-end service across North America," CN president J.J. Ruest said in a statement. 

"With safer service and better fuel efficiency on key routes from Mexico through the heartland of America, the result will be a safer, faster, cleaner and stronger railway."

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