Canadian National Railway (CN) moved 3.54 million metric tons of grain and processed grain products across Canada in October, the most the railway has shipped in any single month during one of the busiest stretches of the grain shipping season.
CN reported the figure Thursday. It tops the previous record of 3.51 million metric tons, set in October 2025, by about 30,000 metric tons, or less than 1%. Western Canadian shipments totaled 3.43 million metric tons, matching the railway's best October, also set in October 2025.
The two figures tell the story. With western volumes flat year over year, the national gain came from grain and processed products moving elsewhere on CN's Canadian network. The railway credited strong customer demand, collaboration across the grain supply chain and its focus on reliable, efficient service.
October extends a run of records. CN moved 7.94 million metric tons of grain from Western Canada in its third quarter, beating the previous quarterly mark of 7.48 million metric tons set in 2020. It closed the 2025-26 crop year with 10 months of record grain movement, according to its 2026-27 Grain Plan, which forecasts shipments of 30 million to 33 million metric tons this crop year against maximum sustainable end-to-end supply chain capacity of 36.7 million metric tons.
Much of the work happens before the first car is loaded. More than 90% of CN's grain cars are allocated to customers before harvest through commercial agreements, and nearly all CN-served facilities that load unit trains now pre-charge the train's air brakes before the crew arrives, according to the railway's 2026-27 Winter Plan. That step avoids a potential delay of eight to 12 hours per train in extreme cold.
Winter is the test for elevators and export terminals counting on that pace. The plan, a report mandated by Transport Canada, keeps a three-tier system that shortens maximum train lengths as trackside temperatures fall, starting at minus 25 C (minus 13 F). CN's planning assumptions include seven-day continuous operations at all major grain export facilities, the ability to load vessels in bad weather and no labor disruptions.
CN did not report a crop-year-to-date total in its October release or say how the record month tracks against its 30 million to 33 million metric ton forecast. The railway publishes weekly grain supply chain performance metrics and monthly Grain Plan updates for Western Canada.
