(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 23, 2022: Report Synopsis

Loads on Wheels

System loads on wheels declined yesterday for the 7th time in the last 8 days but remain above the 6,000 car threshold.

Yesterday’s decline reflects lower volumes for CN while CP volumes increased consistent with expectations following the return to service post labour disruption.

Cars Not Moving

System idle car counts saw notable improvement for the 2nd straight day – now sitting at 2,500 cars, down 20% in the last 48 hours.

While counts declined across the board, the majority of the improvement is seen on CP, consistent with the return to operations midday on Tuesday.

Port Unloads

West coast unloads (282) improved marginally yesterday despite a significant decline in Vancouver unloads offset by a tripling of unloads at Prince Rupert.

Thunder Bay unloads (2) low again despite having 550+ cars on site yesterday.  It is possible that this reflects delayed reporting which is being investigated.

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.