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.