(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.

March 15, 2022: Report Synopsis

Loads on Wheels

System loads on wheels increased for the second straight day yesterday rising above the 7,000 car threshold for the first time since late January.

The increase yesterday reflects higher volumes for each of CN and CP in nearly equal measure.

Cars Not Moving

System idle car counts declined yesterday after three consecutive days of increases with counts falling back below 2,200 cars but still trending some 40% higher than last week.

The improvement yesterday wholly reflects lower counts for CN which declined 25% while there was little movement for CP.

Port Unloads

West coast unloads (416) declined from the prior day reflecting improved unloads for Vancouver and no unloads at Prince Rupert as expected.

Vancouver is now trending marginally ahead of last week while Prince Rupert is trending at half last week’s levels and not likely to improve given the current structure of the pipeline.

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.