CP Sets Another January Grain Record

CP said it continues to invest in its grain fleet with additional hopper cars coming into service each week.

CP has reported a record haul of Canadian grain and grain products in January 2021.

The Class I railroad moved 2.22 million metric tonnes (MMT), or 6% more than the previous January record set in 2020. It also shipped 16 MMT of Canadian grain and grain products during the 2020-21 crop year so far, or 13% more than the comparable period during the 2019-20 crop year. 

“CP, our customers and other supply chain participants have once again collaborated to move record amounts of grain through the month,” said Joan Hardy, CP Vice President Sales and Marketing, Grain and Fertilizers. “Despite a rainy start in Vancouver, the efficiency and effectiveness of the CP service model and the resiliency of the supply chain allowed for recovery through the month and supported this strong result.”

CP reported moving 2.84 MMT of Canadian grain and grain products in December, beating the previous record, set in 2019, by 13.6%. For fourth-quarter 2020, the railroad hauled 8.84 MMT, up 5.1% over the previous record, set in second-quarter 2020. And the 2020 calendar-year total of 31.32 MMT was more than any prior calendar year in the railroad’s history, it noted.

In related news, in January 2021, U.S. intermodal shipments and carloads of chemicals set new records, and grain was up 40%, its “biggest-ever” year-over-year increase, Association of American Railroads (AAR) Senior Vice President John T. Gray reported on Feb. 3. Total carloads (930,303) were the highest they have been in a year, he added—an encouraging sign.