(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 8, 2020: Report Synopsis

Loads on Wheels

· Traffic levels were unchanged overnight remaining above 12,500 cars reflecting lower volumes on CN and higher volumes on CP.

· CP traffic levels have risen to their highest level in a week, while CN volumes declined for the second consecutive day, but continue to track at a higher pace than last week.

Loads Not Moving

· Loads sitting idle for more than 48 hours declined on CN and increased for CP overnight, yielding a net decrease on a system basis, with total counts falling below the 2,000-car threshold.

· The decline overnight reflects primarily lower counts in the Vancouver corridor with puts and takes across other corridors.

Port Performance

· West coast port unloads fell below 1,000 cars for the first time in three days; west coast unloads so far this week are averaging 1,026 cars and continue to track some 5% higher than last week.

· Vessel line ups ticked down slightly for the fourth straight day, with counts declining at Vancouver (-1) and now at 27 – the lowest level seen in more than three months.

· Four vessels are now scheduled to arrive at Prince Rupert, and 24 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