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Canada’s railways, however, see things differently. In February, CP, the country’s second biggest railway, called on Ottawa to scrap the revenue cap. CP believes the revenue cap hampers innovation and investment. Claims on railway efficiency gains, CP says, solidly discourage railway investment in larger rail cars capable of carrying 25 percent more grain.

There is, however, one point on which both grain farmers and rail industry insiders do agree: There is a growing crisis in grain shipment in Canada and capacity problems are hobbling the system, causing major slowdowns. Canada’s two biggest rail companies, CN and CP, say billions of dollars of new asset and infrastructure investments are needed to get grain moving more quickly to port and, they say, they need to encourage investment in this environment. For now, the larger hopper cars that could more quickly move Western grain and that could speed deliveries are not without investor risk. The cars, CP says, could attract a claim, like that of APAS, for a lower shipping bill because railways are moving the same volume of grain in fewer cars.

This is not the first time the country’s two major rail companies have complained they are being hampered by grain regulations. By the 1950s, Canada’s grain handling system was falling apart; the Royal Commission on Transportation, headed by Murdoch MacPherson, was called to investigate freight-rate inequities.