The industry is starting to see a significant uptick in intermodal originations out in Southern California and Western Canada. In a recent Journal of Commerce (JOC) article, CN President and CEO JJ Ruest noted that his railroad is returning furloughed labor (and by association that should include assets that may have been on storage, or in the case of locomotives stored serviceable). This follows a steady (but limited) trend of CN bringing back staff on a limited basis through the summer as reported by Ruest on his most recent Railway Age podcast. The push for increased rail demand at the Port of Vancouver was a direct result of congestion from soaring capacity demands in Southern California.
