(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.

April 12, 2021: Report Synopsis

Loads on Wheels

· Loads on wheels declined yesterday for the third consecutive day – falling 6% (-711 cars) driven by a further decline in CP traffic levels with CN also declining slightly.

· CP loads on wheels have now declined for three straight days falling from a peak of more than 6,400 cars to slightly more than 5,300 cars.

Cars Not Moving

· Idle car counts declined again yesterday reflecting lower counts for CP and slightly higher counts for CN.

· Despite having declined for two straight days, system counts remain above 2,600 cars having now been range bound between 2,300 and 3,400 cars for 10 days.

Port Unloads

· West coast unloads (1,225) were largely unchanged from the prior day reflecting slightly better unloads at Vancouver and marginally lower unloads at Prince Rupert.

· Thunder Bay operations have ramped up notably over the last three weeks with the port reporting more than 400 unloads yesterday.

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.