Battle River Railway teams up with CN, grain company on new wheat move
11/18/2025
By Jeff Stagl, Managing Editor
Wheat transported more than 140 miles from a Canadian elevator in Rosalind to a terminal in Westlock, Alberta, typically is trucked. But that changed in late October.
Westlock Terminals Ltd., the Port of Westlock, CN and Battle River Railway (BRR) on Oct. 30 teamed up to move wheat by rail for the first time between those points. CN moved five cars of wheat from Battle River Railway’s grain elevator in Rosalind to Westlock’s grain terminal in Westlock.
Formed in 2002, Westlock Terminals is owned by more than 270 shareholders, which predominantly comprise farmers and business owners in the area.
The new rail move represents a major advancement in regional cooperation, Westlock Terminals officials say. The partners are providing Alberta farmers improved access to grain markets and better shipping options, they believe.
The rail move also demonstrates Westlock Terminals’ and BRR’s shared commitment to enhance logistics capacity, reduce transportation barriers and support local agricultural growth in the province, officials from the grain company and short line say.
BRR serves agriculture and industrial customers on a weekly basis and provides rail-car storage, grain merchandising, transloading and passenger excursion services. Battle River Railway BRR is a farmer-owned short line that operates in east-central Alberta. Purchased in 2010 by area producers and residents, the short line interchanges with CN in Camrose.
BRR operates Alberta’s longest straight section of track running 52 miles from Alliance to the Camrose area. The short line serves agriculture and industrial customers on a weekly basis and provides rail-car storage, grain merchandising, transloading and passenger excursion services.
Westlock Terminals had long trucked the high-protein wheat to its terminal but recently decided to try rail to potentially trim its transportation costs, says BRR General Manager Matthew Enright. The grain company then invested in a rail-car unloader, he says.
“They went to CN for a rate and got one that was competitive with trucking. It was in the ballpark,” says Enright. “Westlock gains a little cost savings.”
The move became a proof of concept that Westlock Terminals could ask CN for a rate and then the Class I would take the business, he says.
“This is a major lesson that shows CN is willing to do things like this to gain business, and is more open to things like this,” says Enright.
For BRR, the new move means a few more carloads each month. The short line also gained some valuable exposure because Westlock Terminals issued a press release to promote the new move and Enright received a lot of inquiries about it through social media, he says.
Moving five cars of wheat each month will replace the 11 trucks that previously transported the grain. The plan going forward is to move five cars monthly as well as explore additional opportunities for collaboration among the partners.
BRR is a cooperative of sorts since it’s owned in part by area grain producers. So the move, in a sense, is a co-op supporting a co-op such as Westlock Terminals, says Enright.
“When local organizations work together with shared values and community-driven goals, they create lasting opportunities that benefit farmers, rural economies and the future of agriculture in Alberta,” he says.
