Canada Railways Top Federal Grain Transport Caps

Canada's two biggest railways exceeded grain revenue caps set by the Canadian Transportation Agency. The agency reported this week that Canadian Pacific Railway and Canadian National Railway overtopped their maximum revenue entitlements for the crop year by $1.5 million and $1.04 million respectively. The two companies now have 30 days to pay the overages, plus penalties of five percent to the Western Grains Research Foundation, the mandated beneficiary. The foundation is a Canada-based farmer-funded and directed research institute investing in agricultural research that benefits western Canadian produce. In all, the Canadian Transportation Agency said, the two railways moved 40.6 million metric tons of grains during 2017-18, down six percent from the previous crop year. The agency said the average length of haul in 2017-18 came in unchanged from 2016-17, at 953 miles.