Canada’s two major rail companies have taken heat over the last few years for failure to provide consistent movement of agricultural products. However, now it looks like genuine change is underway. The turnaround is remarkable. After a difficult winter in 2013-14, which the Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission says cost around $6.5 billion, and more difficulties […] Read more
Tag Archives grain transportation
CP expects to ship record amount of grain this year
The railway moved 22.5 million tonnes of grain and grain products between Aug. 1, 2018, and May 31, 2019, which is 500,000 tonnes more than it’s ever done at this point in the year
Canadian Pacific Railway expects to set a new record in 2018-19 for volumes of Canadian grain moved in a single crop year. Joan Hardy, CP’s vice-president of sales and marketing, grain and fertilizers, said CP is on pace to move more grain in the current crop year than ever before. Between Aug. 1, 2018, and […] Read more
CN to appeal Ottawa’s freight embargo ruling
The CTA’s Vancouver investigation makes it clear that freight embargoes are to be used only as a tool of last resort
The Canadian Transportation Agency has ruled that Canadian National Railway breached service obligations to shippers in the Canadian pulp industry when it announced plans to impose rail freight embargoes on pulp and paper shippers last September. The CTA’s findings were the result of an investigation launched by the agency in January — the first such […] Read more
CTA investigation report cites traffic volumes
Review of rail freight service issues in Vancouver finds increased car volumes last fall could have been a possible factor
A federal investigation into rail freight service issues in Vancouver last year has identified increased traffic as a potential contributing factor behind service delays and congestion. In a second inquiry report released last month, the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) said car volumes arriving at Canadian National Railway’s Thornton Railway Yard in Surrey during October and […] Read more
TSB advises extra precautions for mountain grain trains
Canada’s Transportation Safety Board has issued a pair of rail safety advisories aimed at improving rail safety and preventing uncontrolled train movements on mountain grades. The advisories were issued to Transport Canada on April 11 and stem from TSB’s investigation of a deadly train derailment earlier this year near Field, B.C., that killed three Canadian […] Read more
CN to appeal federal ruling on freight embargoes
The Canadian Transportation Agency has ruled that Canadian National Railway breached its level of service obligations to shippers in the Canadian pulp industry when it announced plans to impose rail freight embargoes on the pulp and paper industry last September. The CTA’s findings were the result of an investigation launched by the agency in January […] Read more
Traffic volumes cited in CTA investigation report
UPDATE – 1100 April 16, 2019 CST – The CTA released its final report on this issue April 15, 2019. You can find that updated story here. A federal investigation into rail freight service issues in Vancouver last year has identified increased traffic as a potential contributing factor behind service delays and congestion. In a […] Read more
CN to expand infrastructure in Sask.
Canadian National Railway announced March 18 it will spend $245 million on Saskatchewan rail infrastructure this year. Plans include construction of double track at four locations: 16 kilometres near Atwater, east of Melville; 16 km near Fenwood, west of Melville; 12 km near Biggar and 11 km near Clavet. The company also intends to replace […] Read more
Cold weather, poor conditions hamper grain movement
Consistently frigid winter temperatures across the Canadian Prairies combined with heavy snowfall in the Rocky Mountains have significantly slowed grain movements and rail car deliveries over the past few weeks. Conditions for railroading couldn’t be much worse, said Mark Hemmes, president of Edmonton-based Quorum Corp., during a Feb. 22 interview. In addition to two “fairly […] Read more
Oil tanker contracts renew grain delay debate
Despite concerns over Alberta’s $3.7 billion rail deal, the province and others believe it won’t affect grain movement
Debate is again surging over whether more oil by rail will affect grain movement, given the Alberta government plans to spend $3.7 billion to increase capacity by this summer. Some farm leaders worry the plan could cause logjams, while others, including the provincial government, believe there won’t be impacts. “Even with the additional crude on […] Read more
