WINNIPEG – When considering the pattern of how grain is shipped by rail in Canada, it’s very unlikely increased oil shipments would interfere, according to Quorum Corporation. “That’s largely because the flow of grain is predominantly to the West Coast and Thunder Bay,” said Quorum President Mark Hemmes. He explained approximately 80 percent of Canadian […] Read more
Tag Archives grain transportation
Railways ordered to pay $2.7 million for exceeding MRE
Canada’s two largest railway companies — Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway — have been ordered to pay nearly $2.7 million to the Western Grains Research Foundation after exceeding their maximum revenue entitlements for moving western Canadian grain. In a Dec. 31 ruling, the Canadian Transportation Agency said CN generated grain-related revenues of $788 […] Read more
CP’s new cars hit the rails
Canadian Pacific Railway’s new grain cars are shorter and lighter and carry 15 percent more volume and 10 percent more load weight than the old Government of Canada hoppers
PASQUA, Sask. — Canadian Pacific Railway’s first 8,500-foot high efficiency product train of next-generation hopper cars pulled out of the G3 Pasqua terminal near Moose Jaw earlier this month, a shiny, graffiti-free model of the future of grain handling. The cars built by National Steel in Hamilton were among the first delivery of the 500 […] Read more
Who decides which direction grain moves?
Many variables play into how grain, shipping and railway companies determine which shipping route to take
Sometimes when you deliver grain to the elevator it’s shipped west and other times it’s shipped east. It may seem like it’s completely random but there’s a science to it that grain, shipping and railway companies do every day. This was the focus of a panel discussion entitled “Why does grain flow this way?” at […] Read more
No big problems with grain transportation so far
It’s so far, so good with grain shipments to the three major Canadian ports according, to a spokesperson with Quorum Corporation, which compiles weekly performance updates on Canada’s grain handling sector. The spokesperson said there not have been any big problems recently, only a few sporadic instances in rail shipments. He said there has been […] Read more
Arctic Gateway working to restore shipments from Port of Churchill
Work is underway at restoring the Port of Churchill to its former glory. Omer Al-Katib, spokesperson for Arctic Gateway Group Limited Partnership, said this includes work on grain storage, the wharf and new grain cleaning equipment. “The port fell into a state of disrepair as the port was not being fully utilized over the last […] Read more
Sask. short line expands into grain buying
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
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
