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Supply Chain Resiliency Watch – April 9, 2020 APR 9 2020 | Producers | Blog Post

(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 9, 2020: Report Synopsis

Loads on Wheels

· Traffic levels were up slightly overnight (+2%), rising to more than 12,700 cars — the highest level since early February.

· It is important to note that currently while traffic volumes are much higher, 18% (2,200 cars) of traffic is currently in the Thunder Bay corridor as the port re-opens. While good for the system, it does not contribute to resolving the Vancouver issue, where volumes have flatlined at 6,700 cars per day.

Loads Not Moving

· Loads sitting idle for more than 48 hours declined on CN and increased for CP overnight for the second consecutive day, yielding a net decrease on a system basis. Total counts fell below the 1,700-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 remained below 1,000 cars for the second consecutive day. West coast unloads so far this week are averaging 994 cars, only marginally higher than last week.

· Vessel line ups ticked up slightly for the first time in five days, with counts rising at Vancouver (+2) and Prince Rupert (+1) – now at 30 in total.

· Three 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