CPKC Sets New January Grain-Haul Record

Published: February 21, 2026

Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) says it has opened 2026 with a new benchmark in Canadian grain transportation, announcing that the railway moved a record volume of grain and grain products in January—an important mid-winter stress test for a supply chain that routinely faces harsh weather, port constraints, and equipment limitations.

In a February 2, 2026 statement, CPKC reported it shipped 2.395 million metric tonnes (MMT) of Canadian grain and grain products during January 2026, surpassing its prior January tonnage high set in January 2023. The company also set a new January record in carloads, moving 24,688 grain and grain-product carloads—again topping the earlier January 2023 mark.

January is not typically “easy mode” for prairie-to-port logistics. Cold snaps can force shorter trains and slower operations, while winter patterns also shift corridor usage—particularly because the Port of Thunder Bay is typically closed in winter, pushing more export-bound volumes toward West Coast gateways and other routes. That makes record-setting performance in January noteworthy not simply as a headline statistic, but as evidence that the network’s winter plan, equipment mix, and terminal coordination are aligning under real-world conditions.

CPKC’s Jonathan Wahba, Senior Vice-President of Sales and Marketing, attributed the performance to close coordination across the grain supply chain and to investments made by both the railroad and its customers. In the company’s announcement, Wahba pointed to “new and upgraded grain-handling capacity and high-capacity hopper cars” as key enablers behind the month’s record volume.

Beyond the top-line numbers, CPKC emphasized that January’s results exceeded the “average supply chain capacity targets” outlined in its annual grain service plan. But the company also used the moment to underline a recurring theme in Canadian grain transportation: rail capacity alone is not enough if the rest of the system cannot keep pace. The railroad said sustaining momentum depends on all parties—including inland loading facilities and port terminal operators—operating at full capacity.

That point is more than corporate messaging. Grain supply chains are integrated systems: elevators must load consistently, terminals must unload and stage cars reliably, and ports must load vessels efficiently—sometimes in difficult winter conditions. In practical terms, strong rail performance can still bottleneck if vessel lineups, terminal labour, or weather interrupts the final steps between railcar and ship.

The January record also fits into a broader story CPKC wants shippers—and policymakers—to see: a strong first half of the crop year. The railway stated that through the first 26 weeks of the 2025–2026 crop year, it shipped more than 15.1 MMT of grain and grain products, describing that as the largest total since the record-setting 2020–2021 crop year.

If sustained, that pace matters for prairie producers and grain companies because it supports throughput, reduces the risk of inventory backlogs, and helps maintain Canada’s reliability in export markets—especially when global buyers weigh delivery performance as heavily as price.

CPKC’s public grain-planning materials in recent seasons have leaned heavily on two levers: higher-capacity equipment and predictable operating plans that are aligned with customer forecasts. Industry coverage of CPKC’s grain outlook has highlighted targets that vary by season, reflecting the realities of corridor balance and winter constraints.

For example, coverage of CPKC’s 2025–26 grain plan noted the company’s stated intent to supply capacity to move up to 685,000 metric tons per week on average when Thunder Bay is open, and up to 525,000 metric tons per week on average when Thunder Bay is closed—each contingent on market demand and on supply-chain partners operating efficiently.

That conditional language is important. Railways can crew trains and position power, but grain performance often hinges on synchronized actions across dozens of elevators and multiple ports. The January record suggests those “system” pieces were working unusually well at the same time.

CPKC’s performance also arrives amid strong winter grain movement on its major competitor’s network. Trains Magazine reported that Canadian National (CN) described January as its second-best January on record for grain movements from Western Canada, while noting CN’s all-time January record remains from 2020.

For shippers, strong performance from both Class I railways is generally positive: it supports overall export capacity, provides routing options, and can reduce the risk that disruptions on one corridor cascade into systemwide delays.

Grain transportation in Canada is not just a commercial service—it is also a heavily monitored public-interest function, in part because the export economy depends on it. One reminder is the Canadian Transportation Agency’s annual determination of the Maximum Revenue Entitlement (MRE) framework for Western grain. In its December 19, 2025 determination for crop year 2024–2025, the CTA reported that CPKC’s grain revenue exceeded its entitlement and required repayment plus a penalty (with the payment directed to the Western Grains Research Foundation).

While MRE compliance is separate from operational performance, the policy environment reinforces why railways publicly emphasize planning, transparency, and collaboration—and why record months like January tend to draw attention from producers, grain companies, and government stakeholders alike.

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