(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.

May 29, 2020: Report Synopsis

Loads on Wheels

· Traffic levels declined slightly overnight reflecting higher volumes on CN offset by lower volumes on CP.

· System volumes continue their downward trajectory thus far this week averaging 7% lower than last week on the back of a 6% decline last week.

Loads Not Moving

· Loads sitting idle for more than 48 hours increased slightly for both railways overnight reflecting higher counts in the Vancouver corridor for both railways while seeing general across the board improvements in other corridors.

· Average daily counts last week rose slightly from the prior week for both railways, although remain below levels that might be considered problematic.

Port Performance

· West coast port unloads (957) fell below the 1,000 car threshold for the 3rd time in the last 4 days, reflecting lower unloads at both west coast ports.

· West coast vessel counts continue to hover around 30-33 vessels per day, a consistent trend in recent weeks.  Vessel counts were unchanged overnight, reflecting an increase at Vancouver (+1) and a decline at Prince Rupert (-1) – now at 34.

· Six vessels are now scheduled to arrive at Prince Rupert and 15 vessels currently scheduled for arrival at Vancouver over the next ten days.

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.