Reading Time: < 1 minute CN Rail published its 2022-23 grain plan July 29 in which it describes preparations for moving a western Canadian grain crop expected to rebound from last year’s drought-reduced harvest. Plan details include the addition of 57 high-horsepower locomotives, new rolling stock and 500 additional employees to bolster operating crews in Western Canada. More high-capacity grain […] Read more
CN releases 2022-23 grain plan
More high-capacity cars, locomotives, staff included in plan
Is a return of ‘grain gridlock’ in the cards?
Grain movement was slow last winter but CN and CP say they’ll be ready to move this fall’s harvest
Reading Time: 4 minutes Fears are mounting that CN and CP may not be up to the job of getting grain to port later this year, even though the forecasts are for only an average-sized crop. “Last year wasn’t very reassuring,” said Geoff Backman, manager of business development and markets with Alberta Wheat and Barley. “Every year farmers are […] Read more
Railways catch up, but grain shippers worry about this fall
If there’s a normal crop this fall, it’s not clear if railways will have the capacity to move it
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – After a brutal few months of being unable to meet the shipping demands of grain companies, the two major railways have largely caught up. “Over the last two or three weeks, it’s got a little bit better,” Mark Hemmes, of Quorum Corp. (the federal grain monitor) said earlier this month. “We probably […] Read more
Rail service is poor, but better days are on the horizon, says expert
Delivery of hopper cars is a concern, but recovery is expected and long-term outlook is good
Reading Time: 3 minutes Rail service is poor right now, but things will get better — in both the short and longer term, says a leading expert on grain transportation. CN Rail has been particularly poor when it comes to delivering hopper cars requested by grain companies, hitting a low of only 24 per cent during one week in […] Read more
Floods didn’t hit exports but transport woes are mounting
Exports are way down but grain movement is still slow two months after lines reopened
Reading Time: 3 minutes Although it’s been one crisis after another since last summer, the grain sector is seeing some small positives on the export front. One is that rail disruptions caused by flooding in B.C. in November didn’t have a big impact on servicing our wheat customers, attendees at a recent webinar on new-crop sales were told. The […] Read more
Record amount of grain moved, CN goes over revenue limit
The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) recently ruled that Canadian National Railway exceeded its maximum grain revenue entitlements for the 2020/21 crop year. Meanwhile, the CTA stated that Canadian Pacific was under its entitlement. The CTA’s report stated that CN’s revenue from transporting Western Canadian grain was nearly C$1.045 billion and was C$2.4 million over its […] Read more
Don’t panic yet: Normal grain movement should be restored
Barring more torrential rains, railways should be able to catch up on grain deliveries by spring
Reading Time: 4 minutes Grain has once again started moving to the Port of Vancouver after last month’s flooding — but very slowly. “For the next couple of months, I think it’s going to be a very light program out of Vancouver,” Quorum Corp. president Mark Hemmes said on Dec. 3. “They’ve got track back, but a lot of […] Read more
B.C. floods put the spotlight on ‘vulnerable’ rail corridor
Transport sector needs to ‘learn our lessons’ after unprecedented number of washouts and slides
Reading Time: 6 minutes It could take months for grain movement to fully recover from the catastrophic flooding in B.C. that buried rail lines in mud and debris or washed away the ground under the tracks. And the unprecedented damage has highlighted the risk that Prairie farmers face in getting their grain to port. “The rail system there has […] Read more
CN, CP railways break grain shipping records
MarketsFarm – It was a record-breaking year for both of Canada’s two major freight railways. In separate news releases to the public on August 3, both Canadian National Railway (CN Rail) and Canadian Pacific Railway (CP Rail) reported a record amount of grain moved during the 2020-21 crop year. For the first time ever, both […] Read more
A record 12 months of grain shipping for CN
Reading Time: < 1 minute CN Rail says it set another grain shipping record in February, the 12th consecutive month it has set a new record. The railway said it moved 2.28 million tonnes of Canadian grain and grain products in February, breaking the old mark of 2.12 million tonnes by seven per cent. Since the start of the crop […] Read more
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