(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, 2022: Report Synopsis

Loads on Wheels

System loads on wheels declined slightly yesterday with CP leading the decline while CN loads on wheels remain unchanged.

Loads on wheels holding steady at current levels reflect less traffic coming on line – 6 trains system wide in the last 24 hours – while traffic on line dwells for extended periods of time.

Cars Not Moving

System idle car counts increased 40% yesterday for the second straight day and now have pushed north of 3,600 cars – the highest levels seen since November 2021 when the Vancouver corridor was closed due to flooding.

Both railways seeing significant increases yesterday with CN north of 1,300 cars and CP north of 2,100 cars.

Port Unloads

West coast unloads (824) up slightly from the prior day but well below normal with higher unloads at Vancouver and no unloads reported at Prince Rupert for the second straight day.

Thunder Bay unloads (204) improved from the prior day but also below expectations.

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.