(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.

October 21, 2020: Report Synopsis

Loads on Wheels

· Loads on wheels declined slightly yesterday for the third straight day, remaining below the 12,000 car threshold reflecting higher volumes for CN offset by lower volumes on CP.

Cars Not Moving

· The system count of cars not moving increased 13% yesterday rising above 2,400 cars on a system basis.

· The increase yesterday reflects principally higher counts on CN with a slight uptick in CP counts.  Four days into the current week, the count of idle cars is tracking 38% higher than last week at more than 2,100 cars per day.

Port Unloads

· West coast unloads (1,056) rose slightly yesterday as compared to the prior day, reflecting a slight improvement in unloads at Vancouver while Prince Rupert unloads fell slightly.  Thunder Bay unloads remain robust at 448 cars yesterday.

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