(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.

November 2, 2020: Report Synopsis

Loads on Wheels

· Loads on wheels finished out last week marginally higher than the prior week (1%), averaging 12,100 cars per day – consistent with the trend seen throughout much of last week.

· Loads on wheels declined notably yesterday, reversing a spike in volumes seen the prior day.  The decline is primarily a reflection of lower CN volumes, also the source of the increase reported yesterday.

Cars Not Moving

· The system count of cars not moving finished out last week only marginally higher than the prior week averaging 2,100 cars per day throughout the course of last week.

· System counts declined some 14% yesterday (-330 cars) reflecting lower counts across the board but primarily driven by lower counts for CN.  System counts now below 2,000 cars.

Port Unloads

· West coast unloads (1,317) exceeded the 1,300 car benchmark reflecting improved unloads at both west coast ports.  Thunder Bay unloads remain robust at 368 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