(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 29, 2020: Report Synopsis

Loads on Wheels

· Traffic levels declined notably overnight, led primarily by lower volumes on CP and less significant declines on CN.

· The net system reduction is a direct reflection of lower volumes in the Vancouver and Thunder Bay corridors for both railways, consistent with the high number of unloads reported yesterday at each port.

Loads Not Moving

· Loads sitting idle for more than 48 hours declined for the third consecutive day, reflecting a significant drop on CP, while CN counts remained unchanged.

· At less than 1,800 cars, this is the lowest level seen in three weeks.

Port Performance

· West coast port unloads exceeded 1,100 cars for the second straight day and now have been above 1,000 cars for seven consecutive days. This reflects strong unloads at Vancouver, offset by lower unloads at Prince Rupert, which saw its lowest single day unload total (108 cars) in six weeks.

· West coast vessel counts declined overnight (-2), reflecting a decline of 2 at Prince Rupert and no change at Vancouver.

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

For more information, go to www.agtransportcoalition.com

*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.