(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.

April 13, 2020: Report Synopsis

Please note that performance data for Thunder Bay has been added to this report effective today.  With the re-opening of the Seaway and the resumption of shipping at Thunder Bay, providing visibility on this corridor will help to better explain the day to day changes in overall system performance.

Loads on Wheels

· Traffic levels increased overnight (+4%), rising to more than 12,800 cars — the highest level since early February — and the ninth consecutive day with system volumes above the 12,000-car threshold.

·  It is important to note that while system volumes are rising, 18% (2,300 cars) of traffic is currently in the Thunder Bay corridor as the port re-opens. While good for the system overall, it does not contribute to resolving the Vancouver vessel backlog, which is at risk of growing in coming weeks based on relatively high volumes of vessels scheduled for arrival at both Prince Rupert and Vancouver.

Loads Not Moving

· Loads sitting idle for more than 48 hours have risen significantly over the last four days, and are now above 3,000 cars for the first time since the rail blockades were lifted in late February.

· While counts have increased for both railways during this four-day stretch, much of the overall increase reflects a near tripling of cars on CP which, at more than 1,700 cars, has risen to the highest level since mid-February.

Port Performance

· West coast port unloads fell dramatically, reflecting significantly lower unloads at both Vancouver and Prince Rupert. This is likely attributable to the Easter Sunday holiday.

· Vessel line ups ticked up slightly in the last few days and now sit at 33 in total – up from a low of 27 five days ago.

· Six vessels are now scheduled to arrive at Prince Rupert and 23 vessels are scheduled for arrival at Vancouver over the next two weeks.

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