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Daily Grain Network Status – May 18, 2021 MAY 19 2021 | Producers | Blog Post

(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 18, 2021: Report Synopsis

Loads on Wheels

· Loads on wheels changed little yesterday remaining below 7,500 cars on line for the second consecutive day.

· Near the mid point of week 42 average daily loads on wheels are tracking 13% lower than at this point last week further reinforcing the view that shipper demand is declining.

Cars Not Moving

· System counts of idle cars declined marginally yesterday remaining above the 1,500 car mark for the second straight day.

· There was little change for either railway yesterday with CP counts remaining much higher than CN.

Port Unloads

· West coast unloads (777) declined 15% from the prior day reflecting lower unloads at Vancouver and once again no unloads at Prince Rupert.

· Thunder Bay unloads (206) declined by half yesterday on the heels of a very strong day.  The low unloads are not consistent with the cars available for unloading.

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.