(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.

May 17, 2021: Report Synopsis

Loads on Wheels

· The downward trajectory in system traffic levels continues early in week 42 with loads on wheels falling some 13% yesterday to less than 7,200 cars on line.

· While yesterday’s decline reflects notable reductions for both CN and CP the downward movement in recent weeks has been led by CN.

Cars Not Moving

· System counts of loads on wheels increased for the third straight day yesterday rising above 1,500 cars on a system basis.

· While CP counts remain much higher than CN, both railways have seen their respective counts double over the last 72 hours

Port Unloads

· West coast unloads (909) were largely unchanged from the prior day with slightly higher unloads at Vancouver and almost no unloads at Prince Rupert (1).

· Thunder Bay unloads (415) bounced back materially yesterday having now pulleed slightly ahead of last week averaging 326 cars per day.

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.