First Weekly Railway Performance Measurement Report Released

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railway spring
Photo Credit: Debra Murphy

The first of a series of weekly performance measurement reports aimed at increasing transparency related to rail freight capacity and service was released this week, says Pulse Canada, on behalf of the Ag Transportation Coalition.

Pulse Canada says expectations are high that government, railways and the ag industry will use the reports as a basis for constructive discussions regarding solutions in the short, medium and long-term.

“The first report confirms what ag stakeholder have insisted for some time; rail capacity simply isn’t set at a level that meets demand,” says Nick Sekulic, Chair of Pulse Canada.  The report also supports concerns that timeliness of supply continues to be an issue.  “With railways supplying 25% of orders placed for Grain Week 21, it’s clear that getting the right product in the right place at the right time will continue be a challenge for Canadian shippers and their customers” says Sekulic.

Each week, the reports will reveal performance across a range of key indicators including rail car demand, railway car supply, timeliness of railway car supply, corridor performance, railway dwell times at origin and railway dwell times at destination. Those wishing to access the reports must sign in and download the PDF. Weekly reports can be downloaded on the Ag Transport Coalition website www.agtransportcoalition.com

Related: More on the 5-Year Transportation Strategy & Action Plan

The performance measurement initiative is part of a five-year transportation strategy and action plan made possible by matching investments from the ag industry and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada through the Growing Forward 2 program.  QGI Consulting, the firm responsible for the quantitative analysis completed during the Rail Freight Service Review, is now gathering performance data for the Ag Transport Coalition which will cover more than 90% of grain traffic in Canada.

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).

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