(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 30, 2021: Report Synopsis

Loads on Wheels

• Average daily loads on wheels were largely flat week over week despite a reduction in traffic volumes seen through much of last week.

• After averaging less than 6,800 cars on line for much of last week, we saw a sizable surge in volumes late last week for both CN and CP.

Cars Not Moving

• Daily system counts of idle cars held steady last week averaging 1,350 cars per day – consistent with the levels seen in recent weeks.

• Consistent with overall system performance, there was little change across the railways individually with CP improving slightly and CN counts rising slightly.

Port Unloads

• West coast unloads averaged fewer than 700 cars per day last week – 14% lower than the prior week but consistent with declining traffic levels.

• Thunder Bay was a bright spot averaging north of 300 cars unloaded per day last week after falling short of that benchmark the prior week.

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.