(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.

September 12, 2021: Report Synopsis

Loads on Wheels

• System loads on wheels saw a surge in traffic at the end of last week with a net increase of 1,500 cars on Friday/Saturday driving last week’s daily average above 7,000 cars on line.

• The jump in traffic continued yesterday with loads on wheels increasing for the 3rd straight day and begin this week with nearly 8,700 cars on line – the highest one day total in 7 weeks.

Cars Not Moving

• System idle car counts did not finish last week on a positive note with daily counts rising 40% last week to an average of more than 1,400 cars per day.

• Counts have now increased for 5 straight days and sit at more than 1,700 cars this morning – the highest levels since the end of July.

Port Unloads

• West coast unloads improved again last week for the third straight week averaging nearly 600 cars per day, in large part due to the resumption of unloads at Prince Rupert.

• Thunder Bay unloads saw a moderate week over week decline last week averaging less than 190 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.