Canada's two main railways notched another record-setting quarter for grain shipments, benefiting from efficient cars, strong global demand and more available capacity due to fewer shipments of other products amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Canadian National Railway Co. said it moved 7.76 million tonnes of grain in the third quarter and 2.81 million in September alone, both new records for their time periods that amount to seven straight months of unprecedented volume.
The Montreal-based railway beat its previous third-quarter best of 6.9 million tonnes in 2014 by 12 per cent, and its previous September high of 2.6 million tonnes from the same year by eight per cent.
Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. reported moving 7.72 million tonnes last quarter, 11 per cent more than its previous third-quarter record of 6.97 million tonnes set in 2014 as it marked the fourth consecutive quarter of record grain volumes.
CP also shipped more grain last month than any previous September, moving 2.8 million tonnes to beat its September 2017 record by about eight per cent.
The Calgary-based company said its higher-capacity hopper cars were key to the unprecedented volume and, in combination with longer trains, can carry at least 40 per cent more grain than the 7,000-foot train model.
Courtesy of The Canadian Press
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