CN Railway Sets New Grain Transport Record in 2025-26 Crop Year
Event summary
- Canadian National Railway moved a record 33.8 million metric tonnes of grain from Western Canada in the 2025-26 crop year, surpassing the previous high of 31.2 MMT set in 2024-25.
- July 2026 saw CN transport 2.62 MMT of grain, breaking the prior July record of 2.43 MMT from 2020.
- The company attributes the performance to strong customer demand and operational execution.
- CN has released its 2026-27 Grain Plan outlining preparations for the upcoming harvest season.
The big picture
CN's record grain transport underscores the critical role of rail logistics in North America's agricultural supply chain. The performance highlights both operational efficiency gains and potential capacity constraints as demand grows. This trend aligns with broader industry shifts toward optimizing freight networks for bulk commodity movements, particularly in response to volatile weather patterns affecting harvest cycles.
What we're watching
- Capacity Management
- How CN will sustain this elevated transport volume while maintaining network reliability.
- Supply Chain Coordination
- Whether the close collaboration across the grain supply chain can be replicated in future harvest seasons.
- Regulatory Scrutiny
- The pace at which increased rail activity may attract regulatory attention regarding infrastructure and environmental impacts.