(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 5, 2021: Report Synopsis

Loads on Wheels

· Loads on wheels declined yesterday for the third consecutive day albeit only slightly.  Loads on wheels remain below 15,000 cars for the second straight day.

· Yesterday’s decline reflects an increase in CN volumes offset by lower volumes on CP.  CN loads on wheels have returned above the 8,000 car threshold for the third time in the last two weeks.

Cars Not Moving

· The system count of idle cars increased slightly yesterday rising above 5,900 cars on a system basis.  The increase reflects higher counts for CP while CN counts declined slightly.

Port Unloads

· West coast unloads (1,085) declined slightly yesterday reflecting lower unloads at both west coast ports.  Thunder Bay unloads were similar to the prior day at slightly more than 250 cars.

* 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