(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.

December 13, 2020: Report Synopsis

Loads on Wheels

· Loads on wheels increased 3% last week averaging 13,300+ cars per day – the highest level seen this year.  The increase reflects higher volumes on CN and lower volumes on CP.

· Loads on wheels increased slightly yesterday for the third straight day after tailing off at the end of last week.  Volume levels continue to be led by CN at more than 8,000 cars on line for the second consecutive day.

Cars Not Moving

· The system count of loads not moving declined slightly yesterday but remains very high at more than 3,500 cars on a system basis.  Idle car counts have now been above the 3,000 car threshold for six straight days.

Port Unloads

· West coast unloads (1,464) reported their best performance in five weeks reflecting very strong unloads at Vancouver and below standard unloads at Prince Rupert.  Thunder Bay unloads at 109, likely reflect reduced weekend operations.

* 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).All daily network status reports are available on the Pulse Canada website

For more information, go to www.agtransportcoalition.com