(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.

August 15, 2021: Report Synopsis

Loads on Wheels

• Average daily loads on wheels declined last week for the 3rd consecutive week averaging less than 4,200 cars per day – less than half the levels seen three weeks ago.

• After briefly bumping up to 4,300 cars on line last Friday, system volumes have now declined for two straight days returning below 3,800 cars on line.

Cars Not Moving

• Average daily system idle car counts declined last week for the 5th straight week averaging a little more than 1,300 cars per day.

• Counts rose slightly yesterday for the second straight day and begin week 3 at just under 1,400 cars – consistent with levels seen for much of the last two weeks.

Port Unloads

• West coast unloads tailed off notably to finish out last week averaging less than 250 cars per day since Thursday with daily unloads for the week falling below 500 cars per day.

• Thunder Bay unloads averaged less than 130 cars per day last week – the lowest level seen in the last 8 weeks.

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.