Canadian National Railway (CN) says it’s almost set to resume some service to Vancouver, starting early Wednesday. Montreal-based CN said in an emailed statement Tuesday that repair work on damaged sections of its track from Kamloops to Vancouver “progressed well over the weekend” and the line will reopen to “limited traffic” tomorrow “barring any unforeseen […] Read more
CN to reopen to Vancouver Wednesday
Prince Rupert also available, CN reminds shippers
Repair work on B.C. rail lines expected for days yet
CP expects to resume service 'mid-week;' some highways open only for essential travel
Canada’s big two railways expect repair work to continue into at least next week before service can resume through storm-battered areas of British Columbia to export terminals at Vancouver. Both railways, along with several major B.C. highways, have been shut this week due to damage from flooding and landslides spurred by a major multi-day storm […] Read more
Grain shortage, cold snap cause delays at West Coast ports
'...the vessels continue to arrive'
MarketsFarm — Grain movement in Western Canada remains faced with significant difficulties, according to Mark Hemmes, president of Quorum Corp., which monitors rail traffic and vessel movements in Canada. February’s cold snap resulted in grain movement across the region falling below its three-year average. The most pressing issue has been a shortage of grain to […] Read more
Rail unloads at Vancouver, Thunder Bay ahead of last year’s pace
MarketsFarm — The numbers of railcars unloaded at each of Canada’s major grain ports varies as to whether they’re ahead of last year’s pace, according to a report from Quorum Corp. Terminal unloads at Vancouver jumped 22 per cent during week 47 of the 2019-20 crop year, compared to the same week in 2018-19. For […] Read more
Grain vessels backing up at West Coast
MarketsFarm — Vessels waiting to ship grain off Canada’s West Coast are backing up as blockades across the country slow rail traffic, according to reports tracking grain movement. Railway blockades have sprung up at a number of locations across the country over the past two weeks, as protestors express solidarity with Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs opposing […] Read more
CN strike drags on, hitting grain exports, fertilizer output
Ottawa/Montreal | Reuters — A prolonged strike at Canadian National Railway, the country’s largest railroad, sent further shocks through the economy on Monday with grain shipments scuttled and layoffs planned at fertilizer producers and an auto shipment terminal. As Canada’s biggest rail strike in a decade entered its seventh day, industry kept pressuring the government […] Read more
B.C. longshoremen to take strike vote this week
MarketsFarm — The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) is urging members at Canada’s West Coast ports to vote for a strike, as negotiations for a collective agreement have dragged on for over a year. The union members’ vote takes place Wednesday and Thursday (May 8-9). ILWU and the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) […] Read more
Oil on rail likely won’t interfere with grain movements
CNS Canada — When considering the pattern of how grain is shipped by rail in Canada, it’s very unlikely increased oil shipments would interfere, according to Quorum Corp. “That’s largely because the flow of grain is predominantly to the West Coast and Thunder Bay,” said Quorum president Mark Hemmes. About 80 per cent of Canadian […] Read more
No big problems seen in grain transportation so far
CNS Canada — It’s so far, so good with grain shipments to the three major Canadian ports according, to a spokesperson with Quorum Corporation, which compiles weekly performance updates on Canada’s grain handling sector. The spokesperson said there not have been any big problems recently, only a few sporadic instances in rail shipments. There has […] Read more
Grain vessel lineup rising at Vancouver
CNS Canada — The lineup of grain vessels waiting for loading at Vancouver increased to 21 for Week 8 of the grain shipping season. Reports by Quorum Corp., which monitors Prairie grain handling, stated vessels at Vancouver were up 31 per cent from the previous week (17). The increase in ships raised sentiments that grain […] Read more
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