CP posts record January for Canadian grain transport

Canadian Pacific in January moved 2.29 million metric tons (MMT) of Canadian grain and grain products, setting a new record for the month.

CP has moved more than 15 MMT of Canadian grain and grain products thus far in the 2022-2023 crop year, exceeding the amount shipped by this time in the 2021-2022 crop year by more than 45%, CP officials said in a press release.

"CP, our customers and other supply chain participants were able to ship nearly double the volume of grain and grain products compared to January 2022, despite slowed grain vessel loading because of rain in Vancouver, holiday closures and periods of extreme winter operating conditions," said Joan Hardy, CP vice president of sales and market, grain and fertilizers.

The Class I has invested more than $500 million in new high-capacity hopper cars for grain, and "we are working with our customers to boost supply chain capacity," added Hardy.

The railroad has called on the government and industry to improve the ability to load grain vessels in the rain at West Coast terminals. Persistent rain delays in Vancouver disrupt the balanced cycling of rail cars from the Port of Vancouver back to the in-country grain elevators on the Prairies, where they are reloaded with grain and transported back to the West Coast, CP officials said.

The delays unavoidably reduce the grain supply chain’s velocity and export capacity, they added.

"CP appreciates the attention of both government and industry to this matter, and looks forward to stakeholders finding pragmatic and safe solutions to maximize throughput for Canada's export grain supply chain," said Hardy.