(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 8, 2020: Report Synopsis

Loads on Wheels

· Loads on wheels finished out last week marginally lower than the prior week (-2%) averaging 11,900 cars per day, consistent with the trend seen throughout the week.

· Consistent with a pattern seen in recent weeks, system loads on wheels rose over the weekend with a surge in traffic seen on Saturday.  In recent weeks we have regularly seen traffic surges on the weekend followed by declining volumes throughout the remainder of the week.  After falling below 11,300 cars last Thursday, system volumes jumped to 12,100 cars Saturday and then declined yesterday.

Cars Not Moving

· The system count of loads not moving increased for the third straight day yesterday rising once again above 2,000 cars reflecting a steady uptick in counts for both railways.

Port Unloads

· West coast unloads (1,365) increased yesterday reflecting improved unloads at Vancouver and lower unloads at Prince Rupert.  Thunder Bay unloads remain robust at 315 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