(Daily updates will be available on the Alberta Pulse Growers website.)

Pulse Canada and the CSCA are partners of the Ag Transport Coalition (ATC)*, which tracks performance of the Canadian railway network for the movement of grain.

A daily report has been created to provide stakeholders with insight on the performance of the Canadian rail system as it attempts to remain resilient during the COVID-19 pandemic and continues recovering from a series of physical network disruptions in the months of January and February 2020.

March 31, 2020: Report Synopsis

Loads on Wheels

· Traffic levels declined slightly for the first time in four days, reflecting slightly lower volumes on both railways.

· CP traffic levels remain above the 5,000 car threshold for the 5th consecutive day and CN volumes above 7,200 cars for the second straight day.

· For both railways, the overnight decline reflects lower volumes across all corridors other than Vancouver, with slight increases for both railways.

Loads Not Moving

· Loads sitting idle for more than 48 hours declined after rising sharply the prior day – total counts remain above 2,000 cars, slightly higher than last week.

· The improvement for both railways is a direct reflection of improvements in the Vancouver corridor, with puts and takes in other corridors.

· The majority of idle cars continue to sit at origin, which may reflect a strategy by the railways to meter traffic to the port and avoid congestion in their networks.

Port Performance

· West coast port unloads increased yesterday, rising above 1,000 cars for the 12th time in the last 16 days.

· Vessel line ups ticked up slightly, with Vancouver counts increasing (+2) and total west coast vessel counts now at 40.

· Four vessels are now scheduled to arrive at Prince Rupert, and 13 vessels are currently scheduled for arrival at Vancouver over the next two weeks — the latter seemingly in the face of declining demand in the Vancouver corridor this week.

All daily resiliency reports are available on the Pulse Canada website.

*The Ag Transportation Coalition is comprised of the Canadian Canola Growers Association (CCGA), Alberta Wheat Commission (AWC), Pulse Canada, Manitoba Pulse Growers Association (MPGA), Western Grain Elevator Association (WGEA), Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission, Inland Terminal Association of Canada (ITAC) and the Canadian Special Crops Association (CSCA).

For more information, go to www.agtransportcoalition.com