CP Rail wrapped up the 2018-19 crop year on a positive note moving 26.8 million metric tonnes of grain and grain products.  

Joan Hardy, CP’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Grain and Fertilizer, says that’s 2.8% more than the prior record which was in the 2017-18 season and 3.9% more than the three year average.

She notes CP has implemented a number of new efficiencies that have resulted in a 44% increase in grain volume such as the addition of new grain cars.

"These high capacity hopper cars are capable of carrying more grain than the prior generation of rails cars they are replacing," she said.

In addition, CP has also introduced its 8,500 foot high-efficiency product, or HEP, train model. Hardy says the grain industry is also investing in infrastructure to upgrade their tracks for the new HEP train.

According to CP’s Grain Service Outlook Report, by the end of the year the company will have 1,900 high capacity grain hopper cars and 170 locomotives modernized and in place. CP Rail is also training 775 new employees.

Meantime, Hardy says CP is anticipating a strong crop for the 2019-2020 crop year

."We are planning to comply and spot 5,700 grain hopper cars each week with our equipment through this fall period, which is an increase over the 5,500 cars per week we supplied that fall," she noted.