(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.

June 27, 2021: Report Synopsis

Loads on Wheels

• Loads on wheels declined marginally last week from the prior week averaging more than 7,200 cars per day – a nominal 3% decline from the prior week.

• Consistent with the pattern seen throughout the week the decline in volumes last week reflects a 10% decline for CN with CP volumes increasing slightly (5%).

Cars Not Moving

• Idle car counts averaged more than 1,300 cars per day last week – a slight increase from the prior week but consistent with levels seen over much of the last six weeks.

• The increase seen last week was driven by higher counts early in the week with steady improvement seen through the back half of the week.

Port Unloads

• West coast unloads at less than 800 cars per day last week took a slight step back from the prior week reflecting lower unloads at both west coast ports.

• Thunder Bay unloads at less than 200 cars per day last week fell off 25% from the prior week surpassing 300 unloads on only one day last 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.