CN saw an increase in coal traffic during the strike. This is partly due to some producers diverting trains to Prince Rupert instead of to Port of Vancouver and using Neptune Terminals, which was shut down during the strike.
The average daily rate for coal export carloads on CN through the first half of August is down 22.4% from July and still down 12.3% from June volumes.
CPKC lost coal traffic during the strike and has now returned to pre-strike volumes. Export carloads on CPKC are in line with volumes moved during June, with just a modest difference of a 2.4% higher daily average rate in August so far.
CPKC’s lost volumes are largely due to the shutdown at Neptune terminals and Westshore terminals being unable to handle all of the volume that would typically move through the Port of Vancouver.
Seven coal trains originating in southeast BC were shipped to Prince Rupert, which remained open during the strike.
RailState is the only data source that identified these diverted trains and the route taken from southeast BC to the Port of Prince Rupert. No coal unit trains moved on this route in the previous year or since the end of the main strike period on July 14.