(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.

February 16, 2021: Report Synopsis

Loads on Wheels

· After falling below 10,000 cars on line last week, system loads on wheels have now risen for six straight days, rising again yesterday to nearly 11,500 cars.

· At the mid point of week 29, average daily volumes are now tracking some 6% ahead of last week’s pace reflecting higher volumes for both CN and CP.

Cars Not Moving

· The count of idle cars took a steep dive yesterday falling by nearly 1,400 cars (24%) to less than 4,400 cars.  Unfortunately 75% of the improvement was on CP with CN counts remaining very high at nearly 2,900 cars.

Port Unloads

· West coast unloads (608) continue to struggle falling short of the 1,000 car threshold yesterday for the 9th time in the last 10 days.

· Port unload performance will likely lag other indicators such as idle car counts as the railways begin moving loaded cars from origin locations and re-balancing their pipelines.

For more information, go to www.agtransportcoalition.com* 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