Canadian Railroads > Status of CPKC coal exports

Anybody have any up to date info on the status of the Asian export market for coal on CPKC?  It would be interesting to see how this develops as the US- China maneuvering continues. 

China has been unhappy with both Canada and Australia lately so it could get interesting...

march_hare Wrote:
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> Anybody have any up to date info on the status of
> the Asian export market for coal on CPKC?  It
> would be interesting to see how this develops as
> the US- China maneuvering continues. 

All of the coal that CPKC exports is coking coal used for steelmaking, not thermal plants.  The majority of this coal goes to Japan, with some to Korea.  The US's relations with China don't have a direct impact on this business.  If you're curious, I have attached a report showing the number of loaded coal cars through Revelstoke, BC on route to the export terminals in the Vancouver area, on a month by month basis for last year.  January 2025 was strong for carloads also, trending for 20,000+.

The only western Canadian mine producing thermal coal for export is the Vista Mine near Hinton, AB.  They have been running at about 80% of the maximum production capacity of 7 million metric tons per annum for the past two years.  China is one of the nations that they are currently shipping to.  The mine ships by rail, in near daily 220 car CN unit trains to the terminal at Roberts Bank, BC.
 

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Is any of this coal handed off to CN at Kamloops?

Mike Root
Madras, OR

shortlineboss Wrote:
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> Is any of this coal handed off to CN at Kamloops?

Yes, it is. See BoostedFridge's brilliant shot from a couple of days ago at https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?15,5979927
Fred

shortlineboss Wrote:
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> Is any of this coal handed off to CN at Kamloops?

Yes, much of the traffic is turned over to CN at Kamloops for handling to Neptune Terminals in North Vancouver.  CP regained a share of the traffic to Roberts Bank in 2023.  I would estimate the split to be about 70% running as a CN train west of Kamloops, and 30% continuing as CP trains.

Where does the CN Prince Rupert coal originate?

Mike Root
Madras, OR

Building a navy...

Yup, we have a communist country using capatalism to build a miltary that evenually will kill soldiers from western nations.

Victor Baird

Lark Wrote:
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> Building a navy...

wabash2800 Wrote:
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> Yup, we have a communist country using capatalism
> to build a miltary that evenually will kill
> soldiers from western nations.
>
> Victor Baird
>
>
You will sell us the rope we will use to hang you.

Ascribed to VI Lenin, discussing Henry Ford, Armand Hammer, and other western industrialists selling goods to the USSR in the early 1920s.

Posted from Android

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> You will sell us the rope we will use to hang
> you.
>
> Ascribed to VI Lenin, discussing Henry Ford,
> Armand Hammer, and other western industrialists
> selling goods to the USSR in the early 1920s.

Which is still true, and highlights that businesses don't have any loyalty or patriotism no matter who they are or where they operate. Any show of it (UP for instance) is pure BS, and suckers who think otherwise are way too naive about the corporate world. More and more, the world operates on self-interest at all levels...

JG

shortlineboss Wrote:
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> Where does the CN Prince Rupert coal originate?

Much of it is coming from Conuma Resources three coking coal mines in Northeast BC. The Brule, and Willow Creek mines load trains at a location called 'Falls' on the Chetwynd Sub, and the other is the Wolverine Mine on the Tumbler Ridge Sub.

CN has a symbol for a Grande Cache, AB (Winniandy) to Prince Rupert train, but I haven't seen or heard it used before.

Posted from Android

BoostedFridge Wrote:
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> shortlineboss Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Where does the CN Prince Rupert coal originate?
>
> Much of it is coming from Conuma Resources three
> coking coal mines in Northeast BC. The Brule, and
> Willow Creek mines load trains at a location
> called 'Falls' on the Chetwynd Sub, and the other
> is the Wolverine Mine on the Tumbler Ridge Sub.

Conuma purchased the long-dormant (since 2000) Quintette mine on the Tumbler Sub from Teck in May last year (just before Teck went out of the coal business). Conuma began shipping from Quinette to Ridley at Prince Rupert last September.

This required reinstating about two miles of former mainline track at the TT north end of the Tumbler Sub, starting at Mile 80. This "new" mileage is classified as non-main track.