DownWeek 29; 69 percent of Hopper Cars ordered, Delivered

[TOM4CWB]

Railway Performance in Grain Week 29:

· CN and CP supplied 5,517 (69%) of the 7,983 hopper cars ordered for delivery in Grain Week 29 resulting in 2,466 hopper car orders remaining outstanding.

Timeliness of car supply: CN supplied 75% and CP 63% of the hopper cars ordered by shippers for Grain Week 29.
Non-bulk, USA/Mexico, Canadian domestic performance: CN supplied 77% and CP 57% of the hopper cars ordered for Grain Week 29.
Vancouver Bulk: CN supplied 71% and CP 69% of the hopper cars ordered for Grain Week 29.
483 (9%) of the cars ordered for Grain Week 29 were supplied early (the prior week).
Grain Year to Date

86% of hopper car orders have been delivered by CN and CP for the want week.
9% of hopper car orders have arrived 1 week late.
1% of hopper car orders arrived 2 weeks late.
4% of hopper car orders are outstanding.
3825 cars supplied by railways have been rejected by shippers as unsuitable for loading due to mechanical or sanitary reasons.
Past weekly reports can be found on the Ag Transport Coalition website: www.agtransportcoalition.com



* The Ag Transportation Coalition is comprised of the Canadian Canola Growers Association (CCGA), the Alberta Wheat Commission (AWC), Pulse Canada, the Manitoba Pulse Growers Association (MPGA), The Western Grain Elevator Association (WGEA), the Canadian Oilseed Processors Association (COPA), the Inland Terminal Association of Canada (ITAC) and the Canadian Special Crops Association (CSCA).

[binthere]

tom if almost 4000 cars were rejected would that not bring the total delivered and used to around 50 percent?

[Oliver88]

A lot of incompetence if 3825 cars rejected for sanitary or mechanical issues.

The transport minister Garneau better get on this!

[TOM4CWB]

132 cars a week rejected, on average over 29 weeks... say average 7000 cars per week equals 1.9 percent. Should be a break down of which railroad by percent... would be helpful.

[bucket]

5516 cars X 95 tonnes per car. 524020 tonnes for the week.

Absolutely stellar performance.

With this winter the stats are or should be unacceptable.

But crickets......

[Oliver88]

5516 cars X 95 tonnes per car. 524020 tonnes for the week.

Absolutely stellar performance.

With this winter the stats are or should be unacceptable.

But crickets......

Warm winter
Low oil prices
Lower potash production

Only 2 of 3 grain cars arriving on time??

[TOM4CWB]

Is it 'ironic' that grain hopper car service decreases... after the report is released saying to phase out the 'Revenue Cap'...

Kind of like folks are pushing on two ends of a string...

[bucket]

The service has been the shits for the crop year.

It didn't just start after the report.

[wmoebis]

If cars aren't cleaned out properly or lids and slides broken is that the RR fault or grain companies? Don't think Rr check after ever load/unload.

[wmoebis]

If cars aren't cleaned out properly or lids and slides broken is that the RR fault or grain companies? Don't think Rr check after ever load/unload.

[TOM4CWB]

Wm,

I have not had a grain freight provider... EVER... that was not responsible to assure clean properly maintained grain transport equipment.

That is a simple part of the equipment maintenance required... truck or train should not matter.

[wmoebis]

I agree Tom, when should the RR be inspecting the cars?

Usually when cars are rejected for sanitary reasons grain or other material is left in when unloaded at port. So should the RR be on sight at port at time of unload to insure they are properly cleaned out? This is also when the bottoms get damaged so I guess that would be the time.

Often it is raining in Van, snowing in the mountains and very cold on the prairies, cars were fine when leaving terminal but the lids get froze down and require large bars or other tools to break loose, this is when damage happens to lids and they are then bad ordered either by that elevator or the next time they are to be loaded. So maybe they should be inspected at elevators after loading. Or should they be inspected both on loading and unloading?

Not sure how it would work or how much time and manpower it would take the RR to physically inspect every car every load and unload. But someone is damaging cars and are not held accountable.

I wonder if the rail employees could even inspect at terminal and elevator because of safety concerns, they would need fall arrest unless they were on site all the while cars were being loaded. Or would you suggest that all cars go back to Rail yards every time they are unloaded, for inspection and repair.

[sawfly]

if they can't move it this year.
what hope is there?
too much investment south of the line and nothing here.

if trump can build a wall, why can't we build another railroad.
a great make work project for the next depression .
and this time , keep it public forever.

[Jdhot]

As much as I worry about a public system, I think that some/all of the main lines in the country should be public, just like the highways. U.S. In the centre of the prairies feel the grain transport issues the most. This rail performance reinforces the fact that when their is a big crop, rail performance will determine inland price, not the port price.
In order for the RRs to operate at peak efficiency they have to have freight orders waiting, guess what commodity will wait.
There are those that think, we'll get rid of/ tinker with the entitlement formula. Then you get into a peeing match with other commodities at peak shipping times $$$. How would it go if the highways were built just enough so that some traffic was always waiting?

[Hopalong]

Older ones among us will remember when CNR was a government owned railway.
Not a lot better performance and subject to political pressures and payments of financial losses.
On a recent trip through Montana beside BNSF line, saw a lot of equipment sitting idle.
Grain company official says US farmers are dissatisfied with price and choosing to store grain, pulse crops moving well. Crunch time for grain will come this fall if decent crop, farmers will run out of storage space.
From number of cars and engines sitting idle, shipping should not be a problem unless needed for other commodities