Canadian Pacific Railway reduces payload

In an effort to continuously improve the safety of transporting goods in Canada, Canadian Pacific Railways (CPR) will be reducing the payload in Canada on 20-foot containers from January 1st, 2009.

Effective January 1st, 2009, should overweight 20-foot containers be loaded to a rail car, they will be returned to the Marine/Inland terminal. As a result, the shipper/importer will be subject to applicable charges and transload fees incurred for the return of overweight containers. Shipper/importer would also have to pay a fine of CDN $2,500 applied by CPR for any containers whose weights are mis-declared.
The following are additional changes made by CPR for loaded 20-foot containers tendered to CP for movement across the CPR Canadian and USNE Network.

- All 20-foot containers will be limited to a maximum gross weight of 52,900 lbs. (24 metric tons), which includes container tare. As a result, effective January 1st, 2009, CPR will cancel its Canadian & USNE overweight surcharge provision for loaded 20?containers. This weight limit will be in effect for any and all commodities loaded in 20?containers moving between the ports of Vancouver, Montreal, New York / New Jersey, Philadelphia and Canadian points.

- There are no changes to the intra U.S. or U.S. Midwest cross-border weight limitations.
- On traffic moving between stations in the U.S. and between the U.S. and Canada, the maximum weight on 20?containers (except as otherwise provided) is 44,000 lbs. (19.96 metric tons), net.
- There are no changes to weight limitations on 40' containers; the limitations remain as outlined in Circular 7800.
- It is the continued responsibility of the Marine terminals to load containers within the maximum load limit of the railcar.