CP preps grain service for 2017-18 crop year

Canadian Pacific has readied its Dedicated Train Program (DTP) in preparation for grain service during the 2017-18 crop year, the Class I announced today.

More than 75 percent of CP's grain service will employ the DTP this season. The program offers customers greater control of rail-car supply to manage their supply chain, CP officials said in a press release. Grain is the Class I’s largest line of business.

For the upcoming crop year, CP plans to expand the DTP's power-on component, which is designed to improve cycle times and efficiency by ensuring locomotives are available as soon as loaded grain cars are ready to be moved.

"While we have a long history of delivering for farmers, shippers and the North American economy, we are more focused now than ever on our relationships with our customers and on building the world-class grain supply chain that will deliver for the next century," said CP Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer John Brooks.

CP is focused on offering an export grain  supply chain model capable of loading, transporting and unloading 8,500-foot-long, power-on unit trains with a minimum of 134 hopper cars. Through infrastructure investments and collaboration with grain companies and port operators, this enhanced model enables railroads, elevators and ports to increase throughput and make better use of resources, CP officials said.

Grain elevator and port terminal infrastructure is being built and expanded to load and unload 8,500-foot trains clear of mainline tracks.

The Class I’s investments in longer sidings and upgrades to its network enable longer trains to move seamlessly between elevators and ports, CP officials said. Based on industry-average car lengths, the 134-car trains will carry 20 percent more grain than 112-car trains, they said.