Grain By Train: Recent Episodes
Pulse Canada
Every week, we break down how rail performance is impacting the movement and export of Western Canadian Grain in less than 10 minutes.
Greg and Milt recap rail performance for grain weeks 33-36. Tune into this week's episode of Grain by Train to hear what's contributing to the railway's best performances going back to August and the patterns in improving order fulfillment heading into spring.
Greg and Milt recap rail performance for grain weeks 30 - 32. Tune into this week’s episode of Grain By Train to hear how the warm spring weather brings better rail performance and what the forecast looks like for the upcoming weeks.
Greg and Milt recap rail performance for grain weeks 27-29. Tune into this week’s episode of Grain By Train to hear how the railways are regaining control of demand and their strategies to ensure trends continue to head in the right direction.
Greg and Milt return to recap rail performance for grain weeks 23-26. Tune into this week’s episode of Grain By Train to hear about the backlog of orders, volatility, and how the weather has affected performance.
A new year and grain week 22 is here! Tune into this week’s episode of Grain By Train to hear Greg and Milt recap performance in weeks 20, 21, and 22 and discuss the forecast ahead as both railways try and recover from two of the worst weeks for performance in 2022.
Grain week 19 sees demand trending down going into the colder months. Tune into this week’s episode of Grain By Train to hear Greg and Milt discuss idle car counts, winter operating plans, and both railways’ potential for recoverability to help minimize disruption in winter months.
Grain week 17 railway performance stays consistent with previous weeks as winter operations and restrictions continue to dictate service levels. Tune into this week’s episode of Grain By Train to hear Greg and Milt discuss the impending closure of The Port of Thunder Bay and the ongoing changes in demand.
Grain week 16 rail performance takes a dip, with one railway's performance failing to meet the return of higher demand levels. Tune into this week's episode of Grain By Trian to hear Greg and Milt discuss how both railways are dealing with the winter weather and car capacity as the system slows down.
Grain weeks 13, 14, and 15 performance is settling into a pattern, and both railways are managing their demand. Tune into this week's episode of Grain By Train to hear Greg and Milt discuss the fair weather rail performance and the realistic expectations for order cancellation and rationing as more severe winter weather approaches.
Grain weeks 11 and 12 performance was split, with one railway struggling to meet rising demand. Tune into this week’s episode of Grain By Train to hear Greg and Milt discuss the performance of the supply chain and what the future looks like heading into the snow season.
Grain weeks 9 and 10 show consistency in rail performance, but orders continue to pile up. Tune into this week’s episode of Grain By Train to hear Greg and Milt discuss the need for both railways to meet demand and avoid order rationing in the coming weeks.
Grain week 8 sees rail performance dip, and outstanding orders pile up. Tune into this week’s episode of Grain By Train to hear Greg and Milt discuss the increase in demand and the potential consequences of performance trending downwards.
Grain week 7 sees both railways’ performance dip, but demand is growing. Tune into this week’s episode of Grain By Train to hear Greg and Milt discuss how the increase in demand will affect rail performance and what to expect in the next few weeks.
Grain week 5 sees volumes ramping up significantly, but with a potential strike or lockout in the U.S. coming later this week, will rail performance suffer in Canada? Tune into this week’s episode of Grain By Train to hear Greg and Milt discuss rail performance and the potential effect of the ongoing labour situation in the states.
Grain week 4 brings a lack of demand but is a surge on the horizon? Tune into this week’s episode of Grain By Train to hear Greg and Milt Discuss rail performance and forecast for this year’s crop.
Greg and Milt cover Week 3 performance, review CP's annual grain plan and take a look at what's coming up that might present the first real challenge to the system this year.
Despite a detailed list of recommendations for improvement from the Ag Transport Coalition, both railways still have lots of room to improve the information they provide in their grain plans. Greg and Milt dive deep into CN’s grain plan and capacity concerns in this week’s episode of Grain by Train.
Week 1 of the new grain year is in the books, and both railways started it off with solid numbers. But is it strong performance or simply low demand? Greg and Milt look ahead at the next few weeks and give a quick run-down on the newly released grain plans in this week's episode of Grain By Train.
Grain Week 52 is over, and Canada is heading into a new grain year. On this week's episode, Greg and Milt look back over CN and CP's performance throughout the past year and dive into what lies ahead as harvest approaches.
Both CN and CP are set to release their annual grain plans on August 1. Greg and Milt return to cover what improvements the industry needs to see this year, plus give a recap of performance over the past 12 weeks in this week's episode of Grain By Train.
For week 42, Greg and Milt touch on rail performance across the country, then dive right into the newly proposed service and performance indicators from Transport Canada and how they could change how rail performance is recorded.
For week 41, Greg and Milt discuss the best rail performance we’ve seen in the current grain year and give a preview of the upcoming Railway Service and Performance Indicators publication in this week’s episode of Grain by Train.
Week 40 sees CN’s performance dip in Alberta, but CP remains consistent. Join Greg and Milt as they discuss CN’s unsteady performance across the provinces on this week’s episode of Grain by Train.
After months of inconsistency, both railways have found their stride with a comfortable level of consistency, but demand remains low. For week 39, Greg and Milt break down rail performance across the provinces and look ahead at what to expect in the next grain year on this week's Grain by Train.
Both railways moved in the same direction in week 37 - posting their best combined performance since November. But the correlation between demand and performance remains a mystery. Greg and Milt break down the latest on this week's Grain by Train.
"The fact that they (CP) have completely eliminated their outstanding orders coming out of week 36 is a very good sign."CP with a near perfect week while CN saw some struggles in Alberta. Milt breaks down performance by province, with a guest host, on this week's Grain by Train.
Both major railways rebounded in a big way last week, each fulfilling more than 80% of orders. How did it happen, and is this a sign of smoother days ahead? Greg and Milt discuss the uptick this week's episode of Grain by Train
CP manages to improve its overall performance week over week, even in the face of a labor disruption. But performance in the Thunder Bay corridor tells a different story. Milt and Greg cover the latest rail performance numbers on Grain by Train.
How quickly can CP recover from last week's work stoppage? Greg and Milt cover the size of the backlog and what it will take to get back into full swing.
The work stoppage at CP was short lived, but its impact will be felt for weeks.
Greg and Milt break down how quickly the system can recover plus discuss weekly performance in the latest episode of Grain by Train.
Note: This episode was recorded prior to the work stoppage ending.
The lowest weekly shipper demand in the last 5 years translated into a slight uptick in rail performance. With an impending work stoppage at CP, how will our rail supply chain react? Greg and Milt break down the latest in this week's Grain by Train.
Note: This episode was recorded prior to the CP lockout.
As order fulfillment continues to lag, the threat of a work stoppage has emerged at CP Rail.
What could this mean for #cdnag? Greg and Milt discuss that, plus the latest numbers in this week's Grain by Train.
Greg and Milt discuss the improvements made in addressing the backlog of orders the railways have been carrying for weeks.
Milt and Greg review the latest performance numbers, plus take a deep dive into the latest report from Transport Canada.
Both major railways fulfilled less than 50% of hopper car demand in week 27. This week, Greg & Milt break down the numbers, discuss which corridors showed promise, and uncover which ATC report metrics will be the ones to watch as we head into spring.
Despite incredibly low demand from shippers, CN continues to struggle with fulfilling even half of the orders placed. This week on Grain by Train, Milt and Greg discuss what can turn this performance around.
Rail struggles continued in Week 25, with CN posting its worst 4-week performance period in 4 years. This week on Grain by Train, Milt & Greg cover the numbers plus discuss the National Supply Chain Summit.
Hopper car demand is down, but so too is rail performance. In the lead up to next week's National Supply Chain Summit, Greg & Milt cover the latest numbers and discuss if any improvements can be expected in the weeks ahead.
In the midst of the lowest demand in four years, both railways continue to miss the mark on performance.
This week on Grain by Train, Milt and Greg discuss a question the country should be asking: why isn’t Canada's rail system resilient?
Both railways recently had their worst performances of grain year, currently failing to fulfill nearly 50% of orders. This week on Grain by Train, Milt and Greg discuss what issues are causing these struggles and when farmers can expect to see the situation improve.
2,000 backlogged orders are being carried by the railways, and severely cold weather is on the horizon for the prairies. This week, Milt & Greg discuss what the railways are facing as they continue their recovery on the west coast.
Over 5,000 loaded grain cars were stalled en route due to the flooding in BC. Greg and Milt break down how quickly things can get back on track plus discuss the weekly performance numbers.
9,000 cars have not moved for at least 2 days on CP’s network. While rail traffic to Vancouver is recovering, Milt and Greg caution that the numbers for grain don’t tell the whole story.
After flooding in B.C. damaged the main lines of both CN and CP, rail traffic to the Port of Vancouver was essentially halted. How have the railways recovery efforts progressed since? This week on Grain by Train, Milt and Greg look at the numbers and consider the role the weather forecast for the region may play in future performance.
This week, Greg & Milt break down performance for Grain Week 13 and discuss why the railways can't seem to deliver consistently in their primary corridors week to week.
Inconsistent traffic to Prince Rupert has led to backlogs and an increase in idle car counts. Milt and Greg break down what is causing these issues, as well as discuss weekly performance.
Eleven weeks into the grain year, CN has only come close to their order fulfilment goals 3 times. This week, Greg and Milt discuss their concerns for CN heading into winter, along with Week 11 performance.
What does the latest rise in idle cars and a slowdown at ports mean for Canadian ag? Greg and Milt break down what farmers can expect in the coming weeks, plus tackle weekly performance.
How will a restructured CN impact rail service for Canadian ag? On this week's episode, Greg & Milt discuss the changes at CN since its unsuccessful bid for Kansas City Southern. Plus, Week 8 performance numbers.
Why is network visibility so tough to achieve? According to Milt, it comes down to 4 things: railway opposition, commercial issues, cost, and lack of agreement about the why & how.
The health of the Canadian economy relies heavily on the performance of two corporations: CN and CP. But what kind of visibility do we have into the performance of this critical supply chain link? This week on Grain by Train, we discuss the limited data available.
With a smaller harvest comes less demand for moving grain by rail. But, how much smaller? This week, Greg & Milt walk through how the first few weeks of the grain year have compared to average.
“Equally important to how big or how small the grain crop will be is what’s happen with the rest of the railway’s traffic base.”
On this week's episode, Milt & Greg discuss CP's grain plan and if projections of a low-export year will effect rail service.
With the grain year coming to a close, Greg and Milt break down 2020-21 performance and make some predictions for 2021-22.
If timely service is needed to achieve broader supply-chain plans, why aren't railways prioritizing system resiliency?
Milt's short answer: The demand for service doesn't drop, so they don't have to.
This week, we discuss the state of Canadian rail system resiliency.
B.C. wildfires closed both CN's and CP's main lines, cutting off all traffic to the Port of Vancouver. How quickly can they recover, and what impact will this have on order performance for the coming weeks?
What's really at stake for CN as it proceeds with the acquisition of KCS? Greg & Milt discuss the status of the merger, week 45 performance, and give a preview of what's to come on this week's Grain by Train.
After 30 episodes of Grain by Train, it was time for a proper introduction!
This week, Greg & Milt discuss how the lack of detailed and reliable rail performance data set the stage for the formation of the Ag Transport Coalition.
"If you're going to improve profits, and you're going to meet the demands of Wall Street for improved shareholder returns, you're going to find that money largely by reducing costs."
Greg and Milt continue the discussion on Precision-Scheduled Railroading, plus week 43 performance.
In the first of a two part topic, Milt and Greg walk through the concept of Precision-Scheduled Railroading -- why it's been widely adopted and the one North American exception.
Both railways continued their strong performance streak in Week 41. This week on Grain By Train, Greg and Milt break down the reasons why.
Greg and Milt cover the week 40 rail performance results and discuss how demand is contributing to the recent numbers. Plus, a new twist in the ongoing offers for Kansas City Southern.
With competing bids for Kansas City Southern Railway, both CP and CN are focusing on closing the deal. Greg and Milt take a look at what's at stake for Canadian Ag in the months ahead.
"All of those things are starting to suggest quite strongly that we're going to return to a historical level of demand through the spring and summer, unlike what we saw last year."
Are the railways back to business as usual? Milt is feeling optimistic.
Strong performance continues for both railways in grain week 37, but will a strike at the Port of Montreal pose a threat to recent improvements?
After nearly a year of missing the mark, CN managed to meet the 90% order fulfillment threshold in Grain Week 36.
This week on Grain By Train, Greg and Milt cover the weekly report and early indications of where demand may be headed.
Despite some better performance from the railways in week 35, CN is still struggling to achieve consistent car spotting numbers. This week on Grain By Train, Greg and Milt discuss some of the reasons why.
Week 34 saw some improvements in rail performance for both railways. Greg and Milt cover the latest numbers. Plus, as we head into a time of year that typically begins to see a decline in demand, they discuss whether it looks like this trend will hold.
Greg and Milt take a look at rail performance trends over the past few years, and uncover some worrying trends. Plus, a discussion of what's to come for grain shippers as sectors outside of grain start to pick up again and place additional demand on the rail system.
With stronger performance from both railways this week, Greg & Milt discuss how often they've historically been able to meet the 90% performance threshold. And, with the arrival of spring, they cover season changes that will be coming to the system.
Greg and Milt cover CN's ongoing struggle to recover from the February cold snap. And, with heightened attention on rail performance issues across the industry, a discussion on why these issues often manage to fly under the radar.
Greg & Milt discuss the backslide in rail performance and the larger impact of unpredictability across the supply chain, from farmers to shippers.
Greg & Milt discuss how the rail system recovered following a severe cold snap and how data from the last few days is still showing trouble at some ports.
Greg and Milt discuss the severe impacts just one period of harsh weather has had on the rail system and how recovery is going so far.
Greg and Milt cover the significant impact of the recent cold snap on rail performance, and look forward to how quickly the system may be able to recover.
Greg and Milt discuss Week 26 results, reports of record grain movement and, with winter arriving across western Canada, the early impact of harsh weather on rail performance.
This week, Greg & Milt break down fulfillment numbers, discuss a dip in Manitoba performance and more.
This week, Greg and Milt discuss improved performance from both railways, with a possible exception for Saskatchewan. Plus, the impact of Thunder Bay's seasonal closure, the carry over of unfulfilled cars & more.
Milt and Greg cover the improved performance of CN and break down other performance details, including slow performance from both railways in the Vancouver corridor.
Greg and Milt discuss CP's improved performance, ongoing issues with CN and how both rail lines are looking as we head into the winter.
This week, Greg and Milt discuss some improvements in Week 18 and what to watch for heading into the new year.
This week, Greg and Milt discuss changes in the rail system for the winter season and how it could impact grain movement in the coming months.
Greg and Milt discuss the contrasting rail performance across provinces, particularly Alberta. But, some early positive signs and mild weather could help get things back on track.
This week, Milt and Greg discuss the continued carryover of unfulfilled orders from both railways, and break down performance by corridor.
This week, we discuss the growing number of rationed orders by the railways and the effects rationing can have on the supply chain from farmer to port.
Both railways have recently reported moving record grain, but overall volumes may not tell the whole story. This week, we talk shipper demand vs. service received, and implications for the weeks ahead.
Greg Northey of Pulse Canada and Milt Poirier of QGI Consulting cover the performance of the rail system in Western Canada for grain week #12.