The Port of Montreal Authority on Friday published its first weekly dwell-time report under the berth-priority arrangement struck with the two freight carriers, showing inbound rail dwell times easing slightly to just under four days in the final week of October. The authority said the data will be released every Friday through the holiday quarter as part of the confirmed surcharge pause.

The figures drew a cautious welcome from the Vermont dairy cooperative, among the most vocal exporters affected by the congestion. A cooperative spokesperson said the numbers were encouraging but noted that the carriers' four-day reversal threshold remains close, meaning the pause on surcharges could be undone if dwell times tick back up.

“We are watching the four-day line very carefully,” the spokesperson said. “A few hours' improvement is not a trend, but it is the first good news we have had in weeks.”

The surcharge pause, agreed on October 31, holds for now but remains reversible at the carriers' discretion. The arrangement gives priority berthing to the two carriers in exchange for the pause and for the publication of weekly data.

Exporters on the EU-bound agricultural corridor, however, continue to face uncertainty from the unresolved Quebec levy review, which could impose new costs on goods moving through the port. The review has been pending for months, and agricultural shippers say the lack of a resolution is making it difficult to plan for the holiday quarter.

A diplomat at the Indian High Commission in Montreal, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter, said the corridor's exposure to the levy review was a concern for Asian exporters as well, given the volume of agricultural goods that move through Montreal to European markets.

The Port of Montreal Authority declined to comment beyond its published report. The next weekly report is due on Friday, November 7.