A group of grain industry associations is keeping tabs on grain movement in Canada by releasing weekly grain traffic performance updates.
The updates, released each Tuesday by the Ag Transportation Coalition, examine a number of grain transportation metrics using the data collection services of QGI consulting. The coalition estimates its report covers 90 percent of grain traffic in Canada.
This week’s key performance findings, up to Feb. 21, are as follows:
• Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway supplied 1,823 (27 percent) of the 6,861 hopper cars ordered for delivery in Grain Week 29, representing a shortfall of 5,038 cars for Grain Week 29 orders.
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• CN supplied 43 percent of cars for current week orders in non-bulk corridors and CP supplied 10 percent of orders.
• CN’s loaded dwell times for multicar block traffic at country origin locations averaged 43 hours, while CP’s loaded dwell times averaged 89 hours.
• In the crop year to date, railways have supplied 43 percent of customer orders in the week for which cars were ordered.
• In the crop year to date, 35 percent of all bulk grain shipments have waited for more than 48 hours at origin for pick up by the railways after being released by shippers for movement to destination. Only 28 percent of shipments were picked up within 24 hours.
• In the crop year to date, railways have failed to supply 23,929 hopper cars ordered by shippers. This represents a shortfall equivalent to 11 percent of shipper demand.
The Ag Transportation Coalition is made up of the Canadian Canola Growers Association), the Alberta Wheat Commission, Pulse Canada, the Manitoba Pulse Growers Association, the Western Grain Elevator Association, the Canadian Oilseed Processors Association, the Inland Terminal Association of Canada and the Canadian Special Crops Association.
In their prepared release, coalition members said they look forward to advancing discussions with government and collaboration with the railways on the next steps to ensure that the rail transportation system is meeting the needs of Canadian businesses, contributing to their competitiveness and supporting economic growth throughout Canada.
