Just meeting the new rail car unload targets at the West Coast isn’t good enough, says the Canadian Wheat Board.
If the 1.5 million tonne backlog in grain shipments is to be whittled away, then the system will have to exceed the numbers the railways say they’ll try to achieve over the next few weeks.
At a special emergency meeting of grain industry officials held in Calgary last week, the railways said they would strive for weekly unloads of 4,800 cars at Vancouver and Prince Rupert, up from the current level of 3,300 to 3,500.
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While any improvement will be welcomed, said CWB commissioner Gordon Machej, even more is needed.
“We would like to see volumes in addition to that so we can knock a bite off the backlog just as quickly as possible,” he said Feb. 17. “We need to keep on stretching beyond what already looks high.”
Industry officials say it will be crucial to move as much grain as possible in the next four to six weeks because with spring not too far away there will soon be a whole new set of problems, with road bans limiting farmer deliveries, soft track and flooding disrupting rail service and the potential for washouts in the mountains.
The Feb. 13 meeting called by agriculture minister Ralph Goodale brought together officials from the railways, grain companies, grain worker unions, the wheat board and others in the industry to figure out ways to clear up the backlog.
Plans adopted
After talking behind closed doors for more than three hours, the group agreed to pursue a number of ideas, some of which were already in the works prior to the meeting:
- The railways will haul as much grain as possible off of main and secondary lines and high throughput elevators for the next few weeks, while cutting back service on branch lines and at smaller elevators. They will add more locomotives to grain service and streamline maintenance and repair work.
- Grain companies say they will operate country and terminal elevators seven days a week if rail cars are being presented.
- The wheat board is investigating the possibility of shipping some grain to Latin American customers through U.S. ports on the Gulf of Mexico. The board is also talking with Peace River area farmers about trucking grain to Prince Rupert.
Participants said the meeting was beneficial because it got everyone sitting at the same table and focused on solutions.
“It’s always positive when the stakeholders are talking,” said CP Rail spokesperson Steve Morris.
Saskatchewan Wheat Pool president Leroy Larsen said despite all the talk about working together, he didn’t feel very optimistic after the meeting.
“I think I have a better understanding of the situation, but it is not a pretty picture we’re looking at,” he said. “There doesn’t seem to be anything that can be done to catch up.”
The number of vessels at West Coast ports increased again last week. On Feb. 14 there were 41 ships waiting at Vancouver and Prince Rupert, up from 38 one week earlier.
