(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 16, 2020: Report Synopsis

Loads on Wheels

· Loads on wheels increased notably yesterday (+5%) rising above the 12,000 car mark for the first time since the beginning of August.  The increase yesterday reflects higher volumes for both CN and CP and is consistent with the projected increase in hopper car demand for week 7 (this week).  Four days into the current week, average daily volumes are tracking 6% higher than they were at this point last week, reflecting higher volumes on CN and lower volumes on CP.

Cars Not Moving

· The count of loaded cars not moving for 2+ days increased significantly on a system basis  yesterday, reflecting a notable increase in CN counts and slightly higher counts on CP.  The increase for CN is primarily in the Vancouver corridor which likely reflects in part the service disruption on CN’s mainline at Hope BC, which occurred on Monday.

Port Unloads

· West coast unloads (671) remained below the 1,000 car threshold for the second straight day and third time in the last four days, reflecting continued below average unloads at both west coast ports.  Thunder Bay reported more than 400 unloads for the fourth 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