Skip to content

Supply Chain Resiliency Watch – May 5, 2020 MAY 5 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.

May 5, 2020: Report Synopsis

Loads on Wheels

· Traffic levels increased significantly overnight by a net 1,369 cars which, when unloads are considered, reflects roughly 3,000 new cars entering the system yesterday — the largest single day increase in three months.

· Both railways saw traffic levels jump with more than two thirds of the increase coming in the Vancouver corridor.

Loads Not Moving

· Loads sitting idle for more than 48 hours declined overnight, falling to the lowest levels seen in nearly five weeks.

· The improvement reflects lower counts on both CN and CP, and marks the first time both railways have been below the 1,000-car threshold on the same day in nearly a month – a positive sign if sustainable in the coming days.

Port Performance

· West coast port unloads dipped slightly from the prior day, reflecting lower unloads at Vancouver and higher unloads at Prince Rupert. At 1,071, this marks the 12th time in the last 13 days that unloads have exceeded 1,000 cars.

· West coast vessel counts increased overnight (+1) for the second straight day, reflecting higher counts at Vancouver (+2) and lower counts at Prince Rupert (-1).

· Three vessels are now scheduled to arrive at Prince Rupert and 19 vessels are scheduled for arrival at Vancouver over the next ten days.

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.