The Canadian grain arm of commodities giant Louis Dreyfus plans to bring Canadian National Railway (CN) up before federal regulators to answer for the railway’s level of grain service.
No one from Louis Dreyfus Commodities was available by press time Monday to talk about the company’s formal complaint to the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) against CN. The company filed its complaint April 16, the CTA confirmed.
Dreyfus’ complaint is based on sections 113-116 of the Canada Transportation Act, which spell out the service railways are to provide shippers. The railways’ obligations under that section include “adequate and suitable accommodation for the receiving and loading of all traffic offered for carriage on the railway.”
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Dreyfus has also asked the CTA to issue an interim order requiring CN to abide by contractual terms during the proceedings.
Along with a Calgary commodities office, a canola crushing plant at Yorkton, Sask. and a St. Lawrence River port terminal, Dreyfus’ Canadian assets include 10 primary Prairie grain elevators.
Of the 10, CN serves six, at Rycroft, Joffre and Lyalta, Alta., Dawson Creek, B.C., and Kegworth and Aberdeen, Sask. The Yorkton crush plant is served by both CN and Canadian Pacific Railway (CP).
CLICK HERE to read Allan Dawson’s report from the May 1 edition of the Manitoba Co-operator.
CORRECTION, May 5, 2014: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated Dreyfus’ complaint was brought under sections 113-116 of the Canada Grain Act. We regret the error.
