“We’re anticipating probably a quarter of the volume to move through Vancouver in the coming year versus historical trends,” said Stephen Paul, vice-president of supply chain logistics for Ray-Mont Logistics. | File photo

Shipping container volume may drop 75 percent

The usual post-harvest flow of pulses moving to overseas markets in containers off the West Coast will be more like a trickle this year. “We’re anticipating probably a quarter of the volume to move through Vancouver in the coming year versus historical trends,” said Stephen Paul, vice-president of supply chain logistics for Ray-Mont Logistics. He […] Read more

Kansas City Southern said it would enter into a merger agreement with CP because it found the bid to be superior. | Screencap via kcsouthern.com

CN scraps Kansas City Southern bid; paves way for CP

(Reuters) — Canadian National Railway said today it would not proceed with its $29.6 billion offer for Kansas City Southern, citing regulatory hurdles and paving the way for the U.S. railroad to be bought by rival Canadian Pacific Railway. “There have been significant changes to the U.S. regulatory landscape since CN launched its initial proposal […] Read more

Thunder Bay's total grain shipments from Jan. 1, 2021 to through the end of August were just a shade more than four million tonnes, the port authority said in a news release. That's a million tonnes lower than last year, but still slightly higher than the previous five-year average of 3.965 million tonnes. | Port of Thunder Bay photo

Rare inbound grain shipment recorded at Thunder Bay

Year-to-date grain shipments through Ontario’s Port of Thunder Bay are sharply lower than they were a year ago, the port authority said this week. Thunder Bay’s total grain shipments from Jan. 1, 2021 to through the end of August were just a shade more than four million tonnes, the port authority said in a news […] Read more



Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway have been in a bidding war to acquire Kansas City Southern Railway since the spring. KCS shareholders are expected to make a decision on the winning bid on Aug. 19. | File photo

Canadian rivals vie to win approval of U.S. railway

Calgary-based Canadian Pacific Railway has sweetened its bid to acquire Kansas City Southern Railway, an American company based in Missouri. CP’s latest bid to acquire the U.S. freight carrier is described as a cash and stock offer, valued at about US$31 billion — an amount that includes the assumption of roughly $3.8 billion in existing […] Read more


The acquisition of Kansas City Southern by either of its Canadian peers would create the first direct railway linking Canada, the United States and Mexico. | Screencap via kcsouthern.com

CP challenges CN with $27 bln Kansas City Southern bid

Aug 10 (Reuters) – Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd presented a new US$27 billion offer for Kansas City Southern on Tuesday, slightly lower than a US$28 billion rival bid from Canadian National Railway, hoping that antitrust concerns over the latter will give it an edge. Canadian Pacific Chief Executive Keith Creel had refused to raise his […] Read more

According to the federal government’s Hopper Car Fleet Annual Report for 2019, the number of federal hoppers in service dropped to 7,193 cars by Jan. 1, 2020, down from 7,749 cars a year earlier. | File photo

Federal grain car fleet gets smaller

The number of grain cars in Canada’s aging federal hopper car fleet continues to shrink as more cars are removed from service due to age, damage and rising maintenance costs. According to the federal government’s Hopper Car Fleet Annual Report for 2019, the number of federal hoppers in service dropped to 7,193 cars by Jan. […] Read more

It is unclear how Canadian Pacific Railway’s successful appeal of how the Canadian Transportation Agency determined its Volume Related Composite Price Index for 2020-21 might impact its maximum revenue entitlements for this year. | File photo

Judge cites fairness in ruling on revenue cap

Appeals court says CTA didn’t inform CP of the changes it made to how maximum revenue entitlements are calculated

A recent ruling by the Federal Court of Appeal has determined that the Canadian Transportation Agency did not act fairly when it considered factors that will influence Canadian Pacific Railway’s Volume Related Composite Price Index (VRCPI) for the 2020-21 crop year. The VRCPI is part of complex formula used to determine maximum revenue entitlements (MREs), […] Read more


The recent budget allocated $530,000 for the province's 13 short lines. | File photo

Short-line grant returns in Sask.

Saskatchewan has reinstated its grant program for short-line railways, although at a lesser amount. The recent budget allocated $530,000 for the province’s 13 short lines. That compares to $900,000 available in the program before it was cancelled in 2017. The short lines used the money, which was cost-shared, on maintenance and track infrastructure upgrades. “It’s […] Read more

Grain loading operations at the port were expected to increase quickly. | Port of Thunder Bay photo

Thunder Bay starts shipping

The 2021 shipping season is underway at the Port of Thunder Bay, Ont. Tug Sharon M1 and Barge Huron Spirit arrived at the Port of Thunder Bay March 26, signaling the start of the new navigation season. The tug and barge are owned and operated by McKeil Marine of Burlington, Ont. The barge carried a […] Read more