(Regular 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 new grain network status report has been created to provide stakeholders with comprehensive insight on the performance of the Canadian rail system for the 2020-2021 grain year.  The report provides information and data on the status of the rail network as of midnight the previous day.

The railway performance data reported in these reports reflect the performance of rail shipments specifically for grain shippers participating in the Ag Transport Coalition’s railway performance measurement program – estimated to encompass approximately 90-95% of western Canadian originated grain shipments by rail.

September 15, 2020: Report Synopsis

Loads on Wheels

· Loads on wheels declined slightly yesterday but remained above the 11,000 car threshold for the seventh consecutive day.  The overnight change reflects higher volumes on CN, offset by lower volumes on CP.  Three days into the current week, average daily volumes are tracking 4% higher than they were at this point last week, reflecting higher volumes on CN and lower volumes on CP.  The increase on CN is consistent with the uptick in hopper car demand for week 7.

Cars Not Moving

· The count of loaded cars not moving for 2+ days increased on a system basis yesterday reflecting a notable increase in CN counts and slightly higher counts on CP.  System counts currently tracking 39% lower than last week at this point.

Port Unloads

· West coast unloads (743) fell below the 1,000 car threshold for the second time in three days, reflecting lower unloads at both Vancouver and Prince Rupert.  Thunder Bay reported more than 300 unloads for the 8th time in the last 9 days.

All daily network status 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