(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 21, 2021: Report Synopsis

Loads on Wheels

After declining to less than 7,100 cars on line late last week, system loads on wheels have worked their way back above 8,000 cars yesterday.

Early in week 21 the increase seen in recent days is being driven by CP while CN volumes have changed little over this period of time.

Cars Not Moving

System idle car counts increased marginally yesterday but remain just above 2,100 cars, down from the recent high of more than 2,800 cars on Sunday.

There was little change in counts for either railway yesterday with the improvement over the last couple of days reflecting lower counts for both railways.

Port Unloads

West coast unloads (398) declined from the prior day reflecting lower unloads at Prince Rupert.

Thunder Bay unloads (227) improved for the second consecutive day but fell short of the 300 car threshold for the 4th straight 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.