Private crossing upgrades costs are a hot topic with some farmers and CN wants to avoid conflict as it meets new regulations.

CN wants to discuss farmers’ private rail crossings

New safety regulations take effect Nov. 27, 2021 and in some cases upgrades will be required

CN Rail will soon contact farmers with private crossings to discuss making them safer by Nov. 27, 2021, as required under federal regulations introduced by the former Conservative government in 2014. But before letters are mailed, CN is asking provincial farm groups, including Manitoba’s Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP), for input to ensure it strikes the

One industry representative says non-grain rail traffic, such as coal and containers, is causing the increase in car cycle times.

Grain rail car cycle times creeping higher

It’s a concern to grain shippers and canola crushers moving oil and meal

Grain is moving well in Western Canada, but rail service for canola oil and meal shippers needs to be more predictable. That was Chris Vervaet’s, executive director of the Canadian Oilseed Processors Association, message to the Fields on Wheels conference Nov. 2 in Winnipeg. Rail service is also inconsistent for crop shippers resulting in an


Grain shippers say it’s taking some time to bring all the provisions of the new transportation law into effect, but they’re not concerned.

Transport regulation changes unused

It’s partly because grain is moving well, but it’s also taking time to develop level-of-service agreements

Most of the provisions designed to improve rail service for grain in the Transportation Modernization Act (Bill C-49), which became law five months ago this week, have yet to take effect. But that’s neither a surprise nor a disappointment to Wade Sobkowich, executive director of the Western Grain Elevator Association (WGEA), which pushed hard for

Trains cross frequently as the bridge is on the 
CN main line.

Plan an autumn visit to the Uno Trestle Bridge

The trestle is impressive and it has an interesting history

For an interesting spot to visit this fall, take a drive to the Uno Trestle Bridge in western Manitoba. The trestle is a very impressive sight, the scenery well worth the trip and, for history buffs, the 1915 disaster at this site is of further interest. The present-day Uno bridge is 1,533 feet long, a

“CN performance has improved in a big way and that needs to be recognized,” says Western Grain Elevator Association executive director Wade Sobkowich.

CN parking cars as it seeks more grain to move

The railway stepped up shipments in March and April but now the peak shipping period is over

After failing to meet thousands of grain car orders on time earlier this crop year CN says it’s running out of grain so it’s “temporarily parking roughly 1,200 hopper cars.” However, those cars are available if needed, CN said in a news release May 2. “CN said today it has met all grain orders in


Quick passage of amended C-49 sought

Quick passage of amended C-49 sought

The message to Parliamentarians from farmers and shippers — git’r done

Legislation to improve grain shipped by rail isn’t perfect, but it still needs to be passed and made law before Parliament breaks for the summer, say farmers, grain companies and processors. “Even though it (Bill C-49, the Transportation Modernization Act) isn’t perfect we’re clearly of the strong view that we need to lock these change

CN Rail is making a very public apology for poor grain service this past winter.

CN apologizes to grain industry for poor performance

The railway says there’s no excuse for what happened this past winter

CN Rail is making a very public apology to the grain industry. The company admits it didn’t move as much grain as it agreed to earlier this crop year, and is apologizing profusely for it and pledging to do better. And to show it’s serious dismissed its chief executive officer and appointed its chief marketing

grain train canola field

CN car fulfilment dropped in weeks 11 and 12

However, the company says it is bringing more crews and power online to pick up the pace

CN Rail is still struggling to fulfil grain car orders in Western Canada, according to statistics collected by the Ag Transport Coalition (ATC). A CN spokesperson says the company is committed to meeting grain company needs. To that end CN has ramped up hiring and this quarter will add another 250 new crew members, Kate


Railway tracks

Opinion: Short lines get short shrift

Excerpts of testimony by Lee Jebb, vice-president of Cando Rail Services in Brandon to the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, June 15. My message is that immediate, relative and absolute significant gains in greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the transport of goods and materials in Canada, including those produced in the agriculture and forestry

railway cars

CN Rail set grain-shipping records September to April

Longer manifest trains and increased rail and shipper efficiency are paying off, CN says

[Updated: June 8, 2017] It’s been a record-breaking year for grain movement on CN Rail during the 2016-17 crop year, even with a slow start in August. “Once we hit September it was full blast,” David Przednowek, CN’s director of grain marketing, said in an interview May 17. “Each individual month from September all the