CN: Grain shipments on pace for record-setting year

CN announced Wednesday that seven months into the 2014-15 crop year, the Class I is continuing its "record-setting pace" of shipping Western Canadian grain.

As of the last week of February, CN moved on average 4,700 grain hoppers weekly in Western Canada, a 21 percent increase compared with the same period a year ago.

"We are proud of CN's grain-hauling achievements, setting new records basically every month over the last year. Our commitment to deliver service to Canadian grain growers is solid, and the result is a meaningful contribution to keep the end-to-end grain supply chain in sync in Western Canada," said CN President and Chief Executive Officer Claude Mongeau in a press release.

The railroad's actions are contrary to the new Ag Transport Coalition's recent claims that CN is not meeting demand, Mongeau added.

"The facts are clear, when we compare our shipments with all valid car orders, our wait-list stands at less than 2,000 orders, just a few days' worth of car supply," he said. "And we would have the hopper car capacity to handle more grain right now if the waterfront terminal capacity was more fluid on the West Coast."

Last week was the one-year mark of the Canadian government's order that imposed minimum grain-hauling requirements on major railroads. Over the past 12 months, CN's cumulative tonnage of Western grain exceeded mandated volumes by 10 percent, CN officials said.