Customer Advisory

Date: March 11, 2014

Dear Valued Westwood Customer,

Current State:

• Centerm in Vancouver currently has 2,300 containers worth of rail freight waiting to load. Railcar supply shortages across the CN network is the primary cause.
  • Because of the high volumes of import rail traffic at Centerm, loading activity has not occurred on a FIFO (First in-First out) basis. Record ground counts have forced the terminal to evacuate recently arrived rail traffic in advance of previously landed containers.
  • Centerm has pledged to return to FIFO loading as soon as possible.

Future Outlook:

• Weather is finally beginning to improve in the Canadian Prairies and northern Ontario, which will allow train lengths to return to 'standard'. It will still take several weeks to completely catch up if no further service disruptions occur.
  • WSL will work with customers to divert cargo upon request. Diversions need to be determined before cargo discharges at Centerm to avoid high re-handling costs at the terminal. Old units that are buried are often too costly to dig out.

Once again, we apologize for the inconveniences you have experienced due to these delays. We are continuing to work hard with both CN Rail and Centerm to expedite your cargo and will keep you updated as the situation changes.

As always, please feel free to contact your customer service team if you have any questions or concerns:

Eastbound: 1-800-621-4371
Westbound: 1-800-220-9752

Thank you for your understanding and support,