When the fulfillment stats come in as poorly as they did for railcar numbers from February, it’s understandable that grain farmers and grain companies were not terribly pleased with rail performance. However, fulfillment numbers don’t tell the whole story, says David Przednowek, assistant vice president of grain movement for CN Rail.
Przednowek says that a prolonged stretch of extreme cold — notably between February 2 and 19 — significantly hampered rail operations. With ambient temperatures frequently dipping below minus 25 degrees C, CN was required by Transport Canada to shorten train lengths, a measure that disrupted the grain supply chain across the Prairies. Saskatchewan bore the brunt of the cold, with numerous nights reaching minus 40 degrees C, affecting both rail operations and trucking logistics.
Despite the challenges, CN reports it still moved an average of 504,000 metric tonnes of grain per week in February, followed by a record-setting March with an average of 636,000 tonnes, he says. While order fulfillment lagged in February, CN says performance has since rebounded, with 70 per cent of accepted and planned orders filled in the week requested, and over 90 per cent within three days of the scheduled window, he adds.
Mounting trade tensions — including tariff threats and China’s recent implementation of 100 per cent tariffs on Canadian canola meal and oil — are influencing cross-border and global shipping decisions. Przednowek says that some sectors have accelerated shipments in anticipation of changes, while CN is staying closely aligned with customers to anticipate shifts in corridor use and future demand.
Przednowek says that rail capacity is not easily scalable in the short term due to equipment, staffing, and permitting timelines, and stresses the need for corridor balance, highlighting the importance of maintaining flexibility across all export routes, including eastern ports.
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