Canadian Pacific boss Hunter Harrison said railways and grain shippers should engage in face-to-face discussions to discuss ways to more efficiently move grain.
“We need constructive dialogue instead of the ongoing back and forth that is happening in the media among various parties,” said Harrison in a May 8 news release.
“CP has reached out to customers and other stakeholders, including the Western Grain Elevator Association, and look forward to further constructive dialogue in person, rather than through the media. This way, stakeholders like the WGEA, would have a better understanding of supply chain realities and everything CP is doing to continue to move record amounts of grain.”
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According to Harrison, CP’s grain volumes in Western Canada are exceeding previously established benchmarks.
The railway company continues to meet or exceed Ottawa’s order directing CP to move 5,500 cars of grain per week, the news release stated.
CP grain movements from September through April are 15 percent higher than the company’s five-year average, it added.
Harrison also responded to suggestions grain should have moved to the United States during periods of extreme winter weather.
Sending grain cars to a congested terminal like Chicago during the winter would have significantly affected the ability to move grain to the benefit of Canadian farmers, he said.
“The reality is that Canada’s grain handling system is just not built to handle this record amount of grain and CP is moving all the grain the supply chain can currently handle,” Harrison said.
“CP is moving grain in all available lanes but we need to move grain to fluid outlets with strong cycle times to move as much grain as possible as quickly as possible.”
