Great Western Railway Ltd. is Saskatchewan’s newest grain dealer. The short-line railway confirmed last week that it has formed an affiliated company — Great Western Commodities Ltd. — which will buy grain from producers in southern Saskatchewan and sell to buyers in Canada, the United States and overseas. GWR operates on more than 700 kilometres […] Read more
Tag Archives grain transportation
Transportation agency adjusts revenue cap
The Canadian Transportation Agency has recalculated the amount of revenue that Canada’s major railways can earn from hauling western Canadian grain in 2018-19. In a document dated Oct. 25, the CTA confirmed that the Volume Related Composite Price Index (VRCPI) has been adjusted to 1.4114 at Canadian National Railway and 1.4608 at Canadian Pacific Railway. […] Read more
Hopper cars sold at fraction of value
Ottawa is selling off bits and pieces of its shrinking federal hopper car fleet at fire-sale prices. According to the Federal Hopper Car Report prepared by Transport Canada, Ottawa sold 440 refurbished grain hopper cars in 2017 at a value of slightly less than $6,000 per car. The sale of the so-called “terminated” hopper cars […] Read more
Grain vessel lineup a possible sign of shipping to come?
The lineup of grain vessels waiting for loading at Vancouver increased to 21 for Week 8 of the grain shipping season. Reports by Quorum Corp., which monitors prairie grain handling, stated vessels at Vancouver were up 31 per cent from the previous week (17). The increase in ships raised sentiments that grain orders and exports […] Read more
Northgate gains on links with U.S. buyers
This is the second of five business features highlighting Saskatchewan companies that are finalists in the Saskatchewan Trade & Export Partnership’s (STEP) 2018 Exporter of the Year Award. SASKATOON — Ceres Global Ag may not be the most well-known grain-handling company in Saskatchewan. But its reputation is growing, thanks to a dedicated staff, an aggressive […] Read more
Farmers urged to keep watch on rail shipping
Farm leaders last week told federal ministers they are closely watching grain movement this fall to make sure the railways don’t fall behind. Todd Lewis, president of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan, and Daryl Fransoo, a Western Canadian Wheat Growers director, both said communication is key as the first shipping season under new transportation […] Read more
Ottawa to invest $117 million in Churchill and rail link repairs
The federal government plans to spend $117 million over the next 10 years to restore rail service between The Pas, Man., and the Port of Churchill in northern Manitoba. In a Sept. 14 news release, the government of Canada said it is committed to restoring rail service on the Hudson Bay Railway. The railway — […] Read more
Grain supply network performing smoothly
An early harvest slowed farmer deliveries to the elevator, but movement picked up during week four of the new crop year
Canada’s grain handling and transportation systems look to be operating smoothly despite smaller-than-average export shipments during the first month of the 2018-19 crop year. “So far, so good,” said Mark Hemmes, president of Quorum Corp., the Edmonton company contracted to monitor commercial grain movements in Western Canada. “We were a little bit concerned (in late […] Read more
New grain terminals built across West
Grain handling companies continue to invest in new facilities across the West despite warning from some industry observers that Western Canada’s bulk grain handling system is quickly becoming overbuilt. In the past month, at least three new grain terminals have opened across the Prairies and others are scheduled to open early next year. Last week, […] Read more
CN orders 60 more locomotives, cites growth in rail volumes
Canadian National Railway plans to add 60 additional locomotives to its fleet, the company announced this week. The Montreal-based railway has placed an order with GE Transportation for 60 more locomotives, expanding a previous order for 200 new locomotives that was placed by CN in December 2017. “With strong demand across our business, we continue […] Read more
