Reading Time: 2 minutes Grain handler Richardson International plans to expand rail car spots at eight Prairie elevators on Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) lines as the railway gears up for longer trains with new higher-volume hopper cars. Winnipeg-based Richardson on Monday announced expanded rail car spots for its elevators at Lacombe, Carseland, Provost and Olds, Alta.; Estevan, Whitewood […] Read more
Richardson elevators expanding to feed ‘high-efficiency’ trains
Eight sites along CPKC lines to get expanded rail car spots
‘Unexpectedly high’ fuel costs lift railways’ revenue index
VRCPIs for CN, CP increased for 2023-24
Reading Time: 2 minutes The index that determines how much Prairie grain handling revenue Canada’s big two railways get to keep will be raised in the coming crop year, mainly on way-higher-than-expected fuel costs. The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) on Thursday announced the volume-related composite price index (VRCPI) for Canadian National Railway (CN) for 2023-24 will be 1.8295, up […] Read more
CP disputes TSB’s conclusions on fatal grain train crash
Safety board urges automatic parking brakes, 'enhanced' brake testing for conditions
Reading Time: 4 minutes The federal Transportation Safety Board’s report into the fatal derailment of a Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) grain train in the Rocky Mountains in 2019 calls for changes to train braking systems and maintenance. CP, however, is questioning the TSB’s conclusions about the braking performance of the train involved, saying those conclusions are “based on inappropriate […] Read more
Feed weekly outlook: Prices likely to hold firm after CP stoppage
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Feed prices have remained fairly steady over the last week and are likely to continue to do so in the coming week, according to Erin Harakal, senior trader for Agfinity at Stony Plain, Alta. “I don’t see anything drastically changing in the next week,” she said. Harakal added there was nervousness in the […] Read more
CP to reopen rail corridor to Vancouver Tuesday
B.C. storm led to damage in 30 separate spots, railway says
Reading Time: 2 minutes Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) plans to have its rainstorm-battered mainline between Kamloops and Vancouver reopened to grain and other traffic around midday Tuesday. The company said Monday that out of 30 storm-damaged spots across its Thompson and Cascade subdivisions in southern British Columbia, 20 had seen “significant loss of infrastructure” in need of repair. CP […] Read more
U.S. regulator rejects CN’s voting trust to buy Kansas City Southern
CP rips CN's play as 'illusory and not achievable'
Reading Time: 3 minutes Reuters — The U.S. rail regulator on Tuesday rejected a voting trust structure that would have allowed Canadian National Railway (CN) to proceed with its US$29 billion proposed acquisition of U.S. peer Kansas City Southern. The decision was a blow to the deal that would create the first direct railway linking Canada, the U.S. and […] Read more
Canadian Pacific to buy Kansas City Southern in bet on trade
Biggest North American rail deal ever valued at US$25 billion
Reading Time: 4 minutes Reuters — Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) agreed on Sunday to acquire Kansas City Southern in a US$25 billion cash-and-stock deal to create the first railway spanning the United States, Mexico and Canada, standing to benefit from a pickup in trade. It would be the largest ever combination of North American railways by transaction value. It […] Read more
Railways overshoot grain revenue limits for 2019-20
Grain revenues run $5.3 million over caps, CTA rules
Reading Time: 2 minutes Canada’s big two railways have about two more weeks to hand over about $5.6 million in Prairie grain revenue overages and related penalties for the 2019-20 crop year. The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) on Dec. 22 ruled Canadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) each overshot their maximum revenue entitlements (MREs) for the […] Read more
Big Two railways release plans for winter
Snow-clearing equipment among investments at CN, CP
Reading Time: 3 minutes Canada’s major railways have filed their winter contingency plans, as they are now required by law to do. Since updates to the Canada Transportation Act in 2018, Canada’s major rail companies have been required to publish winter plans and can be forced to pay up if they fail to deliver on certain promises of railcars. […] Read more
CN, CP set third-quarter records for grain movement
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Canada’s big two railways again reported moving record amounts of Canadian grain during the third quarter of 2020. Canadian National Railway (CN) reported Monday it had shipped 7.76 million tonnes of grain by rail, and Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) said Friday it had moved 7.72 million tonnes. For CN that not only marked […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
