(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.

January 10, 2021: Report Synopsis

Loads on Wheels

· Loads on wheels declined steadily through the course of last week finishing out the week averaging 14,294 cars per day, some 3% lower than the prior week reflecting lower volumes for both railways.

· The decline in system volumes continues having now declined in 4 of the last 5 days and now below 13,000 cars for the second straight day and only the second time in the last three weeks.

Cars Not Moving

· The system count of idle cars remains stubbornly high at more than 4,500 cars on a system basis yesterday.  Counts have now been above 4,000 cars for ten consecutive days.

Port Unloads

· West coast unloads averaged 1,200+ cars per day last week posting the best performance in the last 8 weeks reflecting improved unloads at both west coast ports.

* 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