Grain is the only commodity ahead of last year moving on the Seaway-Great Lakes.Ottawa—Without large volumes grain to export, Canada's railways and the Seaway-Great Lakes would be suffering a really bleak year during 2020.Instead CN hauled 7.8 million tonnes of grain in the third-quarter and in September posted its seventh consecutive month of record grain movements to West Coast ports and eastern Canadian destinations.In August, CN handled 2.4 million tonnes of Canadian grain compared with the previous record for that month of 2.3 million tonnes. In September, it delivered more than 2.8 million tonnes compared to its previous best September of 2.6 million tonnes.Meanwhile, CP Rail achieved its best-ever third quarter for grain moving 7.7 million tonnes compared to just under 7 million tonnes for its previous best for that quarter. CP also set a new September record of 2.8 million tonnes an 8.4 per cent increase of its best September figure.To the end of September, the St. Lawrence Seaway had handled 7.3 million tonnes of grain since its April 1 opening, close to 18 per cent higher than for the same period last year. It is the only marine commodity running ahead of last year on the Seaway whose overall tonnage is down 8 per cent compared to 2019.That figure is slight improvement compared to August again thanks to grain. “In a year of many ups and downs, we're pleased to see grain exports perform remarkably well,” said Seaway President and CEO Terence Bowles.Grain and agriculture and food products have been the most consistent commodity in terms of increased shipments on the railways all year.CN said it set performance follows records in March, April, May, June and July after suffering a month of blockades in February. “Harvest conditions have been very good so far. Demand for Canadian grain is currently strong across global markets,” said Allen Foster, CN's vice president of bulk.Meanwhile, Joan Hardy, CP's vice president of sales marketing, grain and fertilizer, said the railway was ready for this fall's harvest, which has come off without the delays experienced during 2019. “Customers tell us the crop that continues to come off the fields is large, and CP is ready to keep it moving.”CP's new hopper cars continue to create additional capacity, company officials said. The average rail-car load of wheat for the 2019-2020 crop year was about 1.6 metric tons greater than during the 2017-2018 crop year, before CP began adding the new high-capacity hoppers to its fleet.CN is in the process of acquiring new 1,500 new generation, grain hopper cars with delivery starting in January. JJ Ruest, President and CEO of CN Rail, says the investment, along with the 2020 $2.9 billion capital investment program, will help move much more grain than before.“We are confident in the future of the grain business and its key role in CN's long-term growth,” Ruest said. “By investing in the construction of these new cars, we want to help quickly stimulate the North American economy by supporting the manufacturing and agriculture-related jobs.”Alex Binkley is a freelance journalist and writes for domestic and international publications about agriculture, food and transportation issues. He's also the author of two science fiction novels with more in the works.