Skip to content

Supply Chain Resiliency Watch – June 30, 2020 JUN 30 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.

June 30, 2020: Report Synopsis

Loads on Wheels

· Traffic levels last week remained consistent with the prior week averaging just under 12,000 cars per day.

·  Volumes increased marginally overnight reflecting significant movement, albeit in different directions, by CN and CP with CN volumes rising and CP volumes declining.

.Loads Not Moving

· On a daily basis loads sitting idle rose slightly last week averaging more than 2,800 cars per day for CN and CP combined.

· Counts deteriorated slightly overnight reflecting higher counts on CN offset by lower counts on CP – once again nearing total of 2,800 cars.  The increase on CN is driven by notably higher counts in both the Prince Rupert and Thunder Bay corridors.

Port Performance

· West coast port unloads (978) fell below the 1,000 car threshold for the first time in four days, reflecting below average unloads at Vancouver and Prince Rupert.

· West coast vessel counts continue to hover around 30-35 vessels per day, a consistent range over the last few months.

· Vessel counts increased overnight reflecting an increase at Vancouver (+1) and no change at Prince Rupert – now at 36.

· Three vessels are now scheduled to arrive at Prince Rupert and 18 vessels currently 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.