(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 15, 2020: Report Synopsis

Loads on Wheels

· Traffic levels declined slightly overnight, remaining above 12,600 cars – the 11th consecutive day with system levels 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 dropped significantly overnight following five straight days of increasing counts, and have now fallen below 3,400 cars – still significantly higher than in recent weeks, but an improvement nonetheless.

· The overnight change reflects double digit percentage declines for both railways.

Port Performance

· West coast port unloads were strong for the second straight day, rising to more than 1,100 cars — the highest single day count in more than two weeks. This reflects improved unloads at both Prince Rupert and Vancouver.

· Vessel line ups ticked up slightly overnight, reflecting an increase at Vancouver (+1) and no change at Prince Rupert. The total is now at 33.

· Five vessels are now scheduled to arrive at Prince Rupert and 21 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