Canadian Transportation Agency announces railway price indices for 2025-2026 crop year

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Published: April 30, 2025

,

Photo: bobloblaw/Getty Images Plus

The Canadian Transportation Agency has set its volume-related composite price indices (VRCPI) for Canada’s national railways—key metrics used to determine the railways’ revenue caps for movement of Western Canadian grain.

The VRCPI for the Canadian National Railway is set at 1.9734, an increase of 1.72 per cent over last crop year. For Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railway, the VRCPI is set to 1.9349, an increase of 3.11 per cent from the previous crop year, the CTA said in a news release on Wednesday.

The VRCPI is an inflation factor determined based historical price information for railway inputs like labour, fuel, material and “other capital items,” the CTA said. Future changes in railway price components are also factored in.

Read Also

Corn bids and offers have lately been far apart, with bids generally a dollar or more below the C$12 per bushel Ontario farmers would like to see. Photo: iStock/Getty Images

Feed Grain Weekly: Prices in a slow decline

Seasonal weakness and recent rains across the Prairies pressured feed grain prices according to a Moose Jaw-based trader.

The indices are used to determine the railways’ maximum revenue entitlements for movement of Western Canadian grain in the 2025-2026 crop year.

If the railways exceed their maximum revenue entitlement, they must pay the excess, plus a penalty, to the Western Grains Research Foundation.

In 2024, CPKC exceeded its revenue cap by a bit more than $1.8 million. CN did not exceed its maximum revenue entitlement.

About the author

Geralyn Wichers

Geralyn Wichers

Reporter

Geralyn Wichers grew up on a hobby farm near Anola, Manitoba, where her family raised cattle, pigs and chickens. Geralyn graduated from Red River College’s Creative Communications program in 2019 and was previously a reporter for The Carillon in Steinbach. Geralyn is also a published author of science fiction and fantasy novels.

explore

Stories from our other publications