(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 23, 2021: Report Synopsis

Loads on Wheels

• System loads on wheels increased yesterday returning to 9,000 cars on line.  We note that late reporting of data understated loads on wheels reported yesterday by approx. 200 cars.

• The increase reflects higher volumes for CN offset by lower volumes for CP.  At more than 9,000 cars on line per day this week volumes continue to out pace last week.

Cars Not Moving

• System idle car counts recovered some ground yesterday reversing almost half of the increase reported the prior day.

• Counts remain above 1,000 cars but week to date continue to track nearly 20% better than last week.

Port Unloads

• West coast unloads (956) declined somewhat from the prior day reflecting lower unloads at both west coast ports but primarily at Prince Rupert.

• Thunder Bay unloads (282) improved marginally from the prior day but come in lower than expected given the available cars on site yesterday.

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.