CPKC Launches First Seven-Car Lumber Shipment from Louisiana

TAYLOR, LOUISIANA – CPKC launched rail service from the newly constructed Bienville Lumber Co. sawmill with an initial shipment of seven loaded rail cars bound for Midwest markets. The first shipment, commemorated by CPKC President and CEO Keith Creel alongside Tolko Industries President and CEO Pino Pucci and Hunt, Guillot and Associates Chair Trott Hunt, establishes the Class I railroad’s newest strategic shipper relationship in the US South.

What Is the Full Scope of This Project?

The Bienville Lumber Co. sawmill is a joint venture between Canada-based Tolko Industries and US-based Hunt Forest Products LLC, sited in Taylor, Louisiana, with CPKC providing exclusive rail service connecting the facility to consuming markets across the US Midwest. CPKC characterized the partnership as one that “will take trucks off the road,” signaling a modal shift from highway to rail for outbound lumber distribution.

The sawmill’s annual production capacity, total capital investment, and employment figures were not disclosed by the joint venture partners or CPKC at the time of the inaugural shipment. CPKC did not specify the precise Midwest destinations for the initial seven-car consignment, nor did officials release projected annual rail car volumes under the new shipper agreement.

Key Project Data

How Does This Compare to Similar Projects?

Comparable data for recently commissioned lumber sawmills served by Class I railroads in the US Gulf South was not publicly available at time of publication. However, CPKC has pursued industrial development aggressively along its north-south corridor since the April 2023 merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern, targeting forest products, agri-business, and energy sectors as growth verticals. The Louisiana site lies on the former KCS network, which CPKC has positioned as a single-line route connecting US Gulf Coast production zones to Upper Midwest consumption markets.

Across the North American lumber sector, rail-served greenfield sawmills remain relatively uncommon, with most new capacity additions concentrated in the US South due to proximity to timber supply and favorable operating costs. The Bienville Lumber Co. facility enters a market where US South lumber production capacity has expanded steadily since 2020, according to industry data. (Source: Forest Economic Advisors, 2025)

Editor’s Analysis

CPKC’s pursuit of this sawmill as a strategic shipper reflects a calculated bet on capturing freight that would otherwise move over the highway. A single rail car typically displaces three to four truckloads, and for long-haul lumber moves from Louisiana to the Midwest — distances exceeding 800 miles — the per-unit cost advantage of rail compounds significantly. The joint venture’s choice of a rail-served site suggests Tolko and Hunt Forest Products factored logistics costs into their mill location decision from the outset.

The broader forest products rail market has seen Class I carriers compete intensively for lumber and panel volumes originating in the US South, where timber supply and mill investment have outpaced other regions. CPKC’s north-south single-line service, a direct legacy of the 2023 merger, eliminates the interchange delays that previously complicated KCS-originated shipments to northern destinations. (Source: Association of American Railroads, 2025)

FAQ

Q: Where exactly is the Bienville Lumber Co. sawmill located and who owns it?
A: The sawmill is in Taylor, Louisiana. It is a joint venture between Canada’s Tolko Industries and US-based Hunt Forest Products LLC, operating under the Bienville Lumber Co. name.

Q: How much lumber did the first CPKC rail shipment carry?
A: The inaugural shipment consisted of seven loaded rail cars dispatched to markets across the US Midwest. The total board-foot volume was not specified by CPKC or the joint venture partners.

Q: What was the total investment in the Bienville Lumber Co. sawmill?
A: The joint venture partners and CPKC have not publicly disclosed the sawmill’s total capital investment, annual production capacity, or projected employment figures as of the first shipment date.