(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 17, 2020: Report Synopsis

Loads on Wheels

· Traffic levels declined overnight for the fourth consecutive day, yet remain above the 12,000-car threshold for the 13th consecutive day.

· The strength of the system traffic volume continues to be positively influenced by traffic volumes in the Thunder Bay corridor which continue to ramp up — more than 2,500 cars today representing approximately 20% of total system volumes.

Loads Not Moving

· Loads sitting idle for more than 48 hours declined for the third consecutive day and, on a system basis, are now just above 2,600 cars — the lowest level in nearly a week after having risen dramatically to more than 4,000 cars earlier this week.

· The overnight change reflects improvements for both railways, most notably CN which reduced counts by 600 cars in the prior 24 hours.

Port Performance

· West coast port unloads were strong for the fourth straight day and above 1,100 cars for the third consecutive day. This reflects improved unloads at Vancouver with a nominal decline at Prince Rupert.

· Vessel line ups were unchanged overnight, now at 31 in total.

· Five vessels are now scheduled to arrive at Prince Rupert and 19 vessels are scheduled for arrival at Vancouver over the next two weeks.

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

For more information, go to www.agtransportcoalition.com