What are demurrage rulings?

Last revised April 16, 2018

With respect to railroads, demurrage refers to a charge exacted by a railway from a shipper or receiver for failure to load or unload railway cars within a prescribed time.

Rulings on demurrage by the Board of Railway Commissioners and subsequent transport boards and commissions are reported in Canadian Railway Cases (1902 - 1939), Canadian Railway and Transport Cases (1940 - 1966), Canadian Transport Cases (1966 - 1977) and Canadian Transport Commission Reports (1978 - 1984), all available in the Vancouver Courthouse Library.

A searchable database of rulings of the Canadian Transport Agency (CTA) from 1988 to the present is available on the CTA website.