CN Rail tops profit estimates on higher crude shipments

(Reuters) - Canadian National Railway Co (Toronto:CNR.TO - News) reported a better-than-expected third-quarter profit on Tuesday as the railroad shipped higher volumes of crude and grains.

Railroads including CN Rail and Canadian Pacific (Toronto:CP.TO - News) have benefited from growing demand for transporting crude as rising production outstrips capacity in pipelines, the traditional method for moving oil.

CN Rail said revenue from moving petroleum and chemicals climbed 25 percent in the three months ended Sept. 30, while revenue from grains and fertilizers rose 15 percent.

The Montreal-based company said net income rose to C$1.13 billion ($863.8 million) in the three months ended Sept. 30, from C$958 million, a year earlier.

Excluding one-time items, the railroad earned C$1.50 per share, beating analysts' average estimate of C$1.47, according to Refinitiv data.

Revenue rose 14.5 percent to C$3.69 billion.

(Reporting by Debroop Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Sai Sachin Ravikumar)