(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 20, 2020: Report Synopsis

Loads on Wheels

· Note: Loads on wheels initially reported yesterday at 11,846 are revised upwards to 11,899 reflecting late reporting of data.

· Loads on wheels declined slightly yesterday for the second consecutive day, remaining below the 12,000 car threshold reflecting lower volumes for both CN and CP.

Cars Not Moving

· The system count of cars not moving declined slightly yesterday and remains just below 2,200 cars on a system basis.

· The decline yesterday reflects lower counts on CN and slightly higher counts on CP.  Three days into the current week the count of idle cars is tracking 35% higher than last week at more than 2,000 cars per day.

Port Unloads

· West coast unloads (1,005) declined yesterday reflecting lower unloads at both Vancouver and Prince Rupert.  Thunder Bay unloads remain robust at 380 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