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Stock Plans - Employee Share Investment Plan (Details) (Employee Share Investment Plan [Member], CAD)
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014
participants
Dec. 31, 2013
participants
Dec. 31, 2012
participants
Employee Share Investment Plan [Member]
     
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Employee Share Investment Plan Disclosures [Line Items]      
Maximum percentage of gross salary employee can contribute toward purchase of Company common stock (in hundredths) 10.00%us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardMaximumEmployeeSubscriptionRate
/ cni_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByEmployeeShareInvestmentPlanDisclosuresAxis
= cni_EmployeeShareInvestmentPlanMember
   
Maximum percentage of additional contribution made by the Company of amount invested by employee (in hundredths) 35.00%cni_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardMaximumEmployerMatchingRate
/ cni_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByEmployeeShareInvestmentPlanDisclosuresAxis
= cni_EmployeeShareInvestmentPlanMember
   
Maximum percentage of gross salary employer can contribute toward purchase of Company common stock (in hundredths) 6.00%cni_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardMaximumEmployerSubscriptionRate
/ cni_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByEmployeeShareInvestmentPlanDisclosuresAxis
= cni_EmployeeShareInvestmentPlanMember
   
Number of employees participating in plan and holding shares at balance sheet date 18,488cni_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEmployeeParticipantsNumber
/ cni_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByEmployeeShareInvestmentPlanDisclosuresAxis
= cni_EmployeeShareInvestmentPlanMember
18,488cni_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEmployeeParticipantsNumber
/ cni_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByEmployeeShareInvestmentPlanDisclosuresAxis
= cni_EmployeeShareInvestmentPlanMember
17,423cni_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEmployeeParticipantsNumber
/ cni_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByEmployeeShareInvestmentPlanDisclosuresAxis
= cni_EmployeeShareInvestmentPlanMember
Number of shares purchased for employees under employee share investment plan, including employer contributions 2.1us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardSharesPurchasedForAward
/ cni_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByEmployeeShareInvestmentPlanDisclosuresAxis
= cni_EmployeeShareInvestmentPlanMember
2.3us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardSharesPurchasedForAward
/ cni_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByEmployeeShareInvestmentPlanDisclosuresAxis
= cni_EmployeeShareInvestmentPlanMember
2.5us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardSharesPurchasedForAward
/ cni_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByEmployeeShareInvestmentPlanDisclosuresAxis
= cni_EmployeeShareInvestmentPlanMember
Expense for Company contribution during period under employee share investment plan 34cni_Allocatedsharebasedcompensationexpensecompanycontributionunderemployeeshareinvestmentplan
/ cni_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByEmployeeShareInvestmentPlanDisclosuresAxis
= cni_EmployeeShareInvestmentPlanMember
30cni_Allocatedsharebasedcompensationexpensecompanycontributionunderemployeeshareinvestmentplan
/ cni_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByEmployeeShareInvestmentPlanDisclosuresAxis
= cni_EmployeeShareInvestmentPlanMember
24cni_Allocatedsharebasedcompensationexpensecompanycontributionunderemployeeshareinvestmentplan
/ cni_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByEmployeeShareInvestmentPlanDisclosuresAxis
= cni_EmployeeShareInvestmentPlanMember