what is the bottleneck in rail transport

[macdon02]

I suspect what they are doing is playing the age old game of buying during weak basis and unloading during stronger. In the days of the wooden elevator a decent manager only had to turn his stocks 4 times a year. Buy the weak and sell the strong. If they pick up $10/mt over and above during bill paying season knowing service will be less then optimal it likely justifies not saying anything. $10 Could be an understatement.

[Kinger]

https://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCAKCN1GJ1JF-OCATP

https://ipolitics.ca/2018/03/19/cn-rail-vows-to-clear-grain-backlog/

https://ipolitics.ca/2018/03/19/at-committee-today-rail-ceos-face-questions-on-grain-backlog/

Three articles with statements from the Western Canadian Elevator Association. Which represents the grain cos.

Last one is where they are talking to MPs and the heads of CN and CP are being questioned about the delays.

[Rareearth]

It looks like the terminals on the west coast are at max capacity, alway ships waiting for grain.

Real estate, congestion is Vancouver is expensive, move it to Prince Rupert, build size - storage capacity - and loading speed. Amortize it over a 100 years, sell bonds to pention funds at 3%

I don’t understand the challenges with Hudson Bay, Churchill, for rail bed improvement.
How deep is the water in route?
How deep is the muskeg?
They still have cold and snow storms so same delay issues

Just need options, flexibility, and competition.

Going south CP and CN do this already,

Efficiency, if the rail companies can’t or haven’t figured it out by now they never will. Computers, programmers, equipment, I believe all efficiencies have been attained. It’s a delay tactic to maximize revenues. 100 % efficiency is all shippers and importers being the bottle neck, not rail lines, therefore more track, cars, etc

[Kinger]

I suspect what they are doing is playing the age old game of buying during weak basis and unloading during stronger. In the days of the wooden elevator a decent manager only had to turn his stocks 4 times a year. Buy the weak and sell the strong. If they pick up $10/mt over and above during bill paying season knowing service will be less then optimal it likely justifies not saying anything. $10 Could be an understatement.

Yeah some graincos do that if there is enough carry in the market. But with elevators shipping and turning more than ever they need to determine what they gain doing that vs having the extra storage open.

Most of the time I doubt its worth it looking at the straight carry. Keeping a bit of blending stock on the other hand is likely worth it.

[wmoebis]

Yeah some graincos do that if there is enough carry in the market. But with elevators shipping and turning more than ever they need to determine what they gain doing that vs having the extra storage open.

Most of the time I doubt its worth it looking at the straight carry. Keeping a bit of blending stock on the other hand is likely worth it.

But Ritz said that there isn't any blending going on in the country anymore.

[helmsdale]

But Ritz said that there isn't any blending going on in the country anymore.

HAHA! 1.5% wheat from other classes allowed in #1CWRS, and 3% in #2CWRS

I know for a fact CWSP, especially AC Pasteur a hard red variety is dribbled in at $1.00/bu+ purchasing discount to CWRS. I've been made offers and told this is exactly what they're doing...

[Kinger]

It's been reduced significantly but it still happens. Blending at port is the most efficient way to do it.

But certain port terminals aren't set up to blend very well so what comes in needs to be on the right spec for the boat.

Mostly a older east coast terminal thing I believe. Newer ones are designed with it more in mind.

[seldomseen]

Churchill has no mountains to go over, table top flat most of the way but dropping elevation as you go.Almost a desert for snow if compared to mountain passes. It is a deep water port that can handle even the largest vessels. No seaway to go through and is closer to Europe than Montreal!

The rail line is in poor shape and would need a huge investment and the terminal would need a upgrade.

Just go on youtube and look at the rail lines that are operating above the arctic circle in Russia and the ice breakers they are using.


Government won't look at it only because politically it isn't very important.

[bucket]

Believe it or not ....Alaska and Norway have railways so I am not sure why getting churchill to work is such a difficult task ...Its been done once already....

[samhill]

There are grain companies that are against it.

[seldomseen]

I think that port could make Western Canada a different place in a good way.


Grain will only go where certain people can make money off of it and none of those people are in Churchill!

[wmoebis]

There are grain companies that are against it.

Why would grain companies want to use it when they have their own terminals at other ports? I was well established that Churchill would be a casualty with the demise of the CWB.

[westernvicki]

We live on the northern oil line, where traffic wants to go both ways, & oil traffic appears to out number grain. From what I see no by pass lanes have been built to allow the maximum use of the directional traffic. On our line there is an old short side track that has been there forever most of the time it sits full of cars, but the track length is much shorter that the size of the trains that regularly pass on this line. Had they simply extended this track two trains could have met & bypassed efficiently. Cars are backed up all over. What I see is a total failure to strategically invest in expansion capacity, to facilitate the increased traffic headed in various directions. And so it is like a farm expanding size and using the same equipment, same crews. If the railway were a farm, the comparable analysis would be expand the farm, but do not expand the infrastructure accordingly, including man power. I believe had they invested strategically in rail, to adapt to the additional bidirectional traffic the railway could have earned much more revenue, instead agriculture was sacrificed, and the revenue left in the fields of farmers and is also less revenue to railway shareholders. Inefficiency due to failure to invest in capacity means that potential revenue capacity is not realized. Failure to invest and plan strategically. Board of directors should all retire.

[bucket]

Where is trend line analysis of our exports that would have indicated our infrastructure isn't ready to handle our exports.....although it doesn't seem like it would take a rocket scientist to figure it out....

Although we have an astronaut for a transport minister and he can't figure it out....

[farmaholic]

Where is trend line analysis of our exports that would have indicated our infrastructure isn't ready to handle our exports.....although it doesn't seem like it would take a rocket scientist to figure it out....

Although we have an astronaut for a transport minister and he can't figure it out....

LOL......****en guy!