Canada - Canadian Pacific (CP) on 2 Feb 2023 reported moving 2.29 million metric tons (MMT) of Canadian grain and grain products in January 2023, setting a new record for the month, despite rain delays in Vancouver.
 
"CP's grain performance through January demonstrates the strength of our customers' supply chains, and the strong resiliency of our railway operations and effective winter planning, allowing CP to deliver for our customers," said Joan Hardy, Vice-President Sales and Marketing Grain and Fertilizers for CP, which in November 2022 was recognized as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers (2023) and Alberta's Top Employers (2023) by the Globe and Mail.
 
"CP, our customers, and other supply chain participants were able to ship nearly double the volume of grain and grain products compared with January 2022, despite slowed grain vessel loading because of rain in Vancouver, holiday closures, and periods of extreme winter operating conditions."
 
CP said it has called on the government and industry to improve the ability to load grain vessels in the rain at west coast terminals.
 
"This problem in Vancouver is causing significant capacity constraints for Canada's export of grain and agricultural products," according to the Class I railroad.
 
"Persistent rain delays in Vancouver disrupt the efficient, balanced, cycling of rail cars from the Port of Vancouver back to the in-country grain elevators on the Prairies, where they are re-loaded with grain and transported back to the West Coast. These delays unavoidably reduce the grain supply chain's velocity and export capacity."
 
"CP appreciates the attention of both government and industry to this matter, and looks forward to stakeholders finding pragmatic and safe solutions to maximize throughput for Canada's export grain supply chain," Hardy said.
 
So far in the 2022-2023 crop year, CP reported moving more than 15 MMT of Canadian grain and grain products, up more than 45 percent from the same period during the 2021-2022 crop year.
 
Marybeth Luczak.