Thunder Bay season starts

**bucket** · Apr 12, 2015, 08:25

If the load a ship a day that should get trains running east.

Thunder bay is a mystery.

Graincos have winter months to send grain cleaned and staged for the shipping season. It should be cleaned graded and straight thru for loading on a boat.

There could be 10 trains waiting for direct loading and back to the prairies for more.

Not really sure how we ended up with such a ****ed up grain industry with companies that said they could do better.

**Oliver88** · Apr 12, 2015, 08:53

This is earlier which is good news.
Hopefully Thunder Bay will improve on their numbers from 2014.

More port options for us to ship out of the better.
I still think Churchill has potential long term as well.

**farming101** · Apr 12, 2015, 08:56

At least they got busy and filled the place up this winter.
The season should start with a bang!
Depending on the crop for 2015, it might end with a wimper.Hope not, there is always grain to ship in the fall, even with a lousy crop.
The Seaway has to be used as much as possible as long as ocean freight rates are so low.

**bucket** · Apr 12, 2015, 08:57

Churchill is the least expensive option.

Wasn't there some money allocated to improving logistics to Churchill as part of the open market?

**stonepicker** · Apr 12, 2015, 09:33

For 73% of the year churchill is closed.

**Oliver88** · Apr 12, 2015, 09:53

There is an incentive program to move grain through Churchill. This will need to be extended in 2017.
There is a benefit for farmers in eastern Sask/western MB to use this port though even if we can improve volume from currently less than 1MMT to 3?MMT.

More options the better.

**bucket** · Apr 12, 2015, 10:37

It's about getting the graincos on board. They will use it if the government gives them some sort of tax break.

**bgmb** · Apr 12, 2015, 16:11

Churchill is cheaper but with a 14 week shipping season and a poor rail line serving it I don't think it will ever be a huge grain export point.

**bucket** · Apr 12, 2015, 17:30

Maybe they could run the odd bombing mission up there to keep the ice open.

Sure wish they would bomb highway 42 and rebuild it instead of wasting money in Syria.

Thunder Bay season starts