Grain Shipping Order Take Two

[Hopalong]

As Nov 29 approaches, still no clear indication whether government intends to extend order.
Most of us agree that backlog of getting wheat and canola to port is improved, not surprising since this is what RRs intended and wanted to do anyway, in part to take advantage of revenue cap.
Increased concern being expressed by oat, flax and malt growers who say that if order is extended it should cover all corridors.
Not sure where pulse industry stands.
Most, if not all non grain shippers likely want the order lifted.
At or near top of list proposed to prevent similar shipping problems in future is increased information reporting.
Perhaps flavour of the month like penalties, contracts and still to come, in my opinion, changes to revenue cap that make it less attractive for RRs to ship to port at expense of shippers in other corridors.

[bucket]

I have no idea where this is going. Emails to my MP have given no answers.

To be realistic do I think there are problems for winter shipping? Sure, but why not have a conversation about would be fair expectations of winter movement. And couple that with the sales book to see if it achievable?

Of note CN and CP both change the car ordering process to assumably eliminate what they call "phantom" car orders.

The lobby effort by the railways is in full blitz. What's happening on our side?

[tweety]

What was the railroad 'fine' after all the grain dust settled?

[sumdumguy]

Did the railways pay 1cent in fines is my question?

[bucket]

No fines they have to let the cta review the facts???

[farmaholic]

I would like to thank CN for their contributions to the Children's Hospital Foundation of Saskatchewan. They matched donations of up to $150,000.00. There was also an initiative of up to $300,000.00 up to December 31 2014 under the CN Miracle Match Program but don't know if the two are combined or cumulative.

http://www.childrenshospitalsask.ca/document.doc?id=182


Just trying to put the fines in perspective if any were levied.

Multiple personality disorder? Angels or Demons? LOL

[tweety]

Public relations. The general public doesn't even know grain goes on trains. Probably most don't even know what grain is.

[hobbyfrmr]

I have to agree with Tweety. A train is that nuisance thing blocking people from their next next appointment in their busy lives.
If you told a kid, that train pulls a million bowls of oatmeal, he/she would be impressed. If you said it pulled a hundred thousand 50 inch big screen TVs they would be in AWE!

The charity play is public posturing. Look at the rise in share values, the rail companies are doing "right and well" in the eyes of the public. The general public does not require the exceptionally poor service from the railroads. So, two out of three ain't bad. These guys are smart .

[Hopalong]

Do not understand intricacies of revenue etitlement agreement and why it applies to port shipping and not to other corridors.
Until a year ago it seemed to have brought a bit of respite in ongoing conflict between farmers and shippers with railways.
Railways still complained that it did not provide enough incentive to get them to invest in greater grain shipping capacity.
Too often, growers and shippers took the position that change was not negotiable.
Putting some of the emotion aside and getting back to negotiation table with railways would be top of my list for an action item.
Think negotiation would be better than escalating shipping order to cover domestic and US markets.

[bucket]

Hopalong

Railways are an interesting thing. If canada as a whole would have never built one what would canada look like today?

We are at a crossroads much like when the first railways went in. Is it time to re-evaluate how much product should be on rail? Highways don't come cheap and neither does the equipment to move bulk export product down them.

Economically and environmentally the most efficient way to move this country's exports is by rail.

I do also wonder when there is an option to shuttle trains to the US, either end user or to connector, it's not used as an option to move grain faster?

A north American solution doesn't mean Harrison has to own a complete train set throughout North America. It just means he had to make connections much like airline logistics.

All the players have to sit down and review where we are and where we are going. And how to get there. That includes ag, potash, oil, coal, and consumer product import and exports.

My opinion on the revenue cap is that it should stay until the railways commit to putting more money into their infrastructure to create efficiencies. When the crow rate and woodens were eliminated we were told the gains would come to farmers. I really don't want to be fooled again.