As the CEO of the association, Derek Nighbor, said in an interview, this value is mainly a consequence of delays and tardy arrival of railroad cars. Furthermore, Nighbor criticized that despite intensive discussions with railway companies, year-round use of this means of transport is not 100% guaranteed: "Winter is always a question mark. ... Winter comes every year … and we’re kind of holding our breath (and) hoping that we’re not going to see significant deterioration of service and access." Especially in light of the fact that pulp products cannot simply be stored outdoors this state is considered fatal.
Furthermore, the inadequate infrastructure of Canadian railway lines is subject to criticism. Around 80% of sawmills can only revert to one of two railway operators for transporting their goods - either the Canadian National and the Canadian Pacific Railway, depending on location. Between January and September, Canadian sawyers used about 185,000 railcars.
As news portal iPolitics reports, the crisis will only exacerbate since the oil industry in the Canadian province of Alberta is also planning on intensifying railway shipping. Just like in Central Europe, the number of available railcars far from suffices.
