Saskatchewan’s Export Potential: The Impact of Rail Access

To help achieve its Plan for Growth, Saskatchewan needs to double the value of its exports. This report demonstrates the importance of the rail freight transportation system to Saskatchewan’s economy, and analyzes the extent to which disruptions can act as a barrier to Saskatchewan reaching its export target by 2020. Using interviews, literature, and data, a model that relates export demand to demand for railway capacity was constructed. This model helped provide an estimate of the extent to which Saskatchewan’s export growth targets will rely on railway capacity. From there, the extent to which rail capacity fall could constrain export growth was also estimated. The report also includes potential recommendations for improving the efficiency of Saskatchewan’s rail-based supply chains and ensuring that they will not be a constraint to export growth in the future.