
Tag Archives freight

Federal work/rest rules to be updated for railway workers
More clarifications coming, Teamsters say
A perennial sticking point in work stoppages and labour disputes at Canada’s two major railways is expected to be at least somewhat addressed within the next two and a half years. Federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau on Nov. 25 announced what’s billed as the first updates to the Duty/Rest Rules for Railway Operating Employees since […] Read more

Trump-backed Canadian railway to Alaska faces high hurdles
Proponents say line could move grain, fertilizer as well as oil
Winnipeg/Washington | Reuters — A private-sector proposal endorsed by U.S. President Donald Trump to build a railway from Canada’s oil sands to ports in Alaska would free landlocked crude but faces numerous steep challenges. Trump wrote on Twitter over the weekend that he would issue a permit for the Alaska-Alberta Railway Development Corporation (A2A Rail) […] Read more

Fuel, labour to pull grain freight cost indices lower
CP's share buybacks also a factor in its VRCPI
The numbers that decide how much revenue Canada’s big two railways get to keep from Prairie grain handling have been marked downward for the 2020-21 crop year. The Canadian Transportation Agency last week announced it will set the volume-related composite price index (VRCPI) at 1.4202 for Canadian National Railway (CN) and at 1.4205 for Canadian […] Read more

CN faces grain export backlog of 10,000 carloads, CEO says
Montreal | Reuters — Canadian National Railway (CN) lost capacity equivalent to 10,000 carloads, or one million tonnes of grain exports, in February due to rail blockades by protesters opposed to a pipeline project, CEO Jean-Jacques Ruest said Tuesday. Activists disrupted passenger and freight traffic last month to show solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en people, who […] Read more

Protestors put up new rail, road barricades in wake of arrests
Ottawa/Toronto | Reuters — Protesters in Canada have blocked train lines, Vancouver’s port entrance and at least one highway in Quebec Tuesday in response to the arrest of 10 indigenous protesters on Monday as police cleared a three-week rail barricade in southern Ontario. Ontario Provincial Police on Monday arrested some of the Tyendinaga Mohawk campaigners […] Read more

Passenger trains to run again, pipeline protests block freight
Ottawa | Reuters — Passenger rail operator Via Rail said Tuesday it would soon resume partial services between Quebec City and Ottawa while the government sought to end anti-pipeline protests that are blocking rail freight in Eastern Canada. Via said passenger services between the two cities would start on Thursday after it received a notification […] Read more

Feed weekly outlook: Rally likely to end soon
MarketsFarm — After a bit of a rally for feed grain prices over the last three to four weeks, the feedlots are on the full side, said Brandon Motz of CorNine Commodities at Lacombe, Alta. “That normally means we back off a little bit,” he said, noting there hasn’t been an uptick in deliveries with […] Read more

Feed weekly outlook: Firm undertone to Prairie grains
MarketsFarm — Solid demand from cattle feeders and ongoing logistic issues across the Prairies should keep a firm undertone in the feed grain market for the time being, according to an Alberta broker. “The feed market has definitely moved higher,” said Brandon Motz of CorNine Commodities at Lacombe, Alta., adding “demand is strong through feedlot […] Read more

Feed weekly outlook: Tight logistics underpin barley in Feedlot Alley
MarketsFarm — The adverse 2019 harvest across Western Canada may have left more grain grading as feed than normal, but issues in getting that barley and wheat to livestock continue to prop up prices for the time being. “We’ve seen a rally in the feed barley market the last four weeks,” said Brandon Motz, of […] Read more

CN to cut management, union jobs
Reuters — Canadian National Railway said on Friday it would cut management and union jobs, as the largest Canadian railroad operator grapples with an economic slowdown. The company will lay off 1,600 employees in the U.S. and Canada, according to a report by the Globe and Mail. The announcement comes amid declining freight volumes as […] Read more
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