(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.

December 12, 2021: Report Synopsis

Loads on Wheels

System loads on wheels finished out week 19 much where it had been trending throughout the week – some 3% lower than the prior week averaging 8,100 cars per day.

After rising to nearly 8,700 cars on line Saturday, volumes declined yesterday with lower volumes for both railways and we begin week 20 tracking slightly ahead of last week.

Cars Not Moving

System idle car counts made significant progress las week finishing out the week averaging less than 2,700 cars per day – some 35% lower than the prior week.

After declining for 8 straight days and falling below 1,700 cars on Friday, counts have increased notably in the last 48 hours rising by 1,000 cars and once again rising above 2,600 cars.

Port Unloads

West coast unloads improved for the second straight week last week averaging 400+ unloads per day led by Vancouver which saw daily unloads increase 75% from the prior week.

Thunder Bay unloads dropped off slightly last week averaging just above 200 unloads per day with the Port exceeding 300 unloads a day only twice 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.