(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.

April 20, 2022: Report Synopsis

Loads on Wheels

System loads on wheels rose slightly yesterday rising above 5,500 cars but at the mid point of week 38 continue to lag last week’s pace.

Both CN and CP saw volumes increase yesterday, CN more notably, although the increases for both railways were nominal in absolute terms.

Cars Not Moving

System idle car counts rose for the first time in four days returning above the 1,100 car mark after briefly dipping below 1,000 cars the prior day for the first time since November.

Higher counts for each of CN and CP yesterday although the increases were not significant in absolute terms.

Port Unloads

West coast unloads (207) fell by half yesterday with lower than anticipated unloads at Vancouver and no unloads at Prince Rupert as expected.

Thunder Bay unloads (282) saw their best day of the week so far but still fell short of 300 cars.  Unloads continue to lag last week’s pace by nearly 20%.

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.