Minister of Transport announces requirement to provide more freight rail data to help strengthen Canada's supply chain

OTTAWA, ON , Jan. 9, 2023 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is taking concrete action to strengthen our national supply chains and continue to build an economy that works for everyone. Canada's freight rail system is a key component of our supply chains, moving more than 332 million tonnes of Canadian goods to market, and into Canadians' homes, each year.

Today, the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, announced amendments to the Transportation Information Regulations to increase supply chain transparency and create a better understanding of the performance of Canada's freight rail sector for the benefit of all rail users.

These amendments aim to strengthen the accountability of freight rail service providers, by requiring major railways to provide Transport Canada with enhanced service and performance information. This information will significantly enhance the value of the information being collected and it will be published weekly on the Government of Canada's Transportation Data and Information Hub to provide Canadians with a better picture of end-to-end freight rail performance.

Major railways will also provide Transport Canada with additional data to support targeted public policy and other regulatory purposes, including waybill information (such as origin, destination, weight) and traffic data (such as number of carloads, goods, and car types).

These changes will come into force on April 4, 2023, and will significantly expand upon the service and performance data currently collected following the implementation of the Transportation Modernization Act of 2018.

The amendments to the Transportation Information Regulations are an important part of the Government of Canada's response to the issues raised in the National Supply Chain Task Force's Final Report.

Quote

"Moving Canadian goods to market efficiently is vital for Canada's future economic success. Ensuring access to detailed service and performance information for Canada's railway sector is another way we are contributing to building even more productive exchanges among supply chain members. This also reflects our commitment to strengthening Canada's supply chain and improving our economy."

The Honourable Omar Alghabra 
Minister of Transport

Quick Facts

• The Transportation Modernization Act put in place the conditions for a fair, efficient, balanced, and transparent freight rail system to support the needs of rail users and the broader economy.
• The Transportation Modernization Act introduced temporary requirements for major railways to submit service and performance information. These amendments to the Transportation Information Regulations will replace the temporary transitional provisions under the Transportation Modernization Act, with requirements to submit new, timely and more robust service and performance information.
• In March 2022, the Minister of Transport announced the creation of a National Supply Chain Task Force to examine the key pressures affecting Canada's supply chain operations. The Task Force's Final Report was presented to the Minister on October 6, 2022. The revised amendments to the Transportation Information Regulations are part of the Government's response to the recommendations, which called for increased visibility and transparency into Canada's supply chain performance.

Associated Links

• Link to Canada Gazette II
• Canada's Transportation Data and Information Hub
  
• National Supply Chain Task Force Report

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SOURCE Transport Canada

Contacts: Nadine Ramadan, Press Secretary and Communications Advisor, Office of the Honourable Omar Alghabra, Minister of Transport, Ottawa, [email protected]; Media Relations: Transport Canada, Ottawa, 613-993-0055, [email protected]