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Daily Grain Network Status – September 21, 2021 SEP 22 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.

September 21, 2021: Report Synopsis

Loads on Wheels

• System loads on wheels declined yesterday falling below the 9,000 car threshold for the first time in three days but continue to track 3% ahead of last week.

• The decline seen yesterday reflects lower volumes for both railways albeit more notably CP which accounted for 90% of the decline.

Cars Not Moving

• System idle car counts improved for the second straight day yesterday falling below 800 cars on a system basis.

• Daily average counts are now averaging less than 1,000 cars per day – some 34% better than last week at this juncture.

Port Unloads

• West coast unloads (979) saw a nice bump yesterday reflecting improved unloads at both Vancouver and Prince Rupert.

• Thunder Bay unloads (425) saw their best day in two and half months surpassing the 400 car mark for only the third time in the last four months.

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.