Railway carloadings, June 2016
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Released: 2016-08-31
27.8 million tonnes
June 2016
-7.5% 
(12-month change)
The volume of rail freight carried in Canada totalled 27.8 million tonnes in June, down 7.5% from the same month last year. From June 2011 to June 2016, the total volume of rail freight carried in Canada increased by 9.2%.
Chart 1
Railway carloadings, total tonnage shipped
In June, freight originating in Canada decreased 6.5% from June 2015 to 25.4 million tonnes. These shipments are composed of both non-intermodal and intermodal freight.
Non-intermodal freight fell 6.3% to 277,000 carloads in June. The amount of freight loaded into these cars totalled 22.6 million tonnes, down 7.3% from the same month last year. The decline mainly reflected a decrease in loadings of wheat, fuel oils and crude petroleum, potash, and iron ore and concentrates. Tonnage of coal, potash, and fuel oils and crude petroleum shipped by rail was down year over year for the eight consecutive month.
In June, tonnage of rail loadings of fuel oils and crude petroleum in the western region fell 48.8% from the same month last year. Driving this decline was Alberta, where delivery capacity had not returned to pre-wildfire levels.
Intermodal freight loadings edged up 0.4% year over year to 185,000 units. In terms of weight, intermodal traffic rose 0.7% to 2.8 million tonnes as a result of an increase in containers on flat cars.
Freight traffic received from the United States fell 17.3% to 2.4 million tonnes, as a result of a 19.4% decrease in non-intermodal freight, while intermodal freight from the United States increased 7.1%.
Evolution of potash shipments over time
In the first half of 2016, shipments of potash by rail totalled 8.3 million tonnes, down by at least 800 000 tonnes compared with the same period in four of the last five years. (Potash is a potassium-rich mineral used in the production of fertilizer.)
Chart 2
Year-over-year change in railway carloadings, potash shipped
According to the Raw Materials Price Index, the price of potash reached a peak in December 2011, which persisted throughout the first half of 2012. As the price of potash hit new highs in 2011, so too did monthly shipments of potash by rail. During 2011 as a whole, shipments totalled 17.1 million tonnes.
The price of potash began to decline in August 2012, posting year-over-year decreases until December 2014. At the same time, shipments of potash fell sharply in 2012 to 14.2 million tonnes.
Despite the year-over-year decreases in potash prices, potash companies expanded their production from 2012 to 2015 to maintain their market shares, leading to an upward trend in shipments. By 2015, potash shipments had reached 18.4 million tonnes.
In the first half of 2016, however, shipments of potash posted year-over-year decreases, reflecting the falling price of potash.
Note to readers
The Monthly Railway Carloadings Survey collects data, including the number of rail cars, tonnage, units and 20-feet equivalent units, from railways operating in Canada that provide for-hire freight service.
Non-intermodal freight is cargo moved via box cars or loaded in bulk. Intermodal freight is cargo moved via containers and trailers on flat cars.
Data are available for Canada, the Eastern Division and the Western Division. For statistical purposes, cargo loadings from Thunder Bay, Ontario, to the Pacific Coast are classified to the Western Division, while loadings from Armstrong, Ontario, to the Atlantic Coast are classified to the Eastern Division.
Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted.
Data on prices are from the Raw Materials Price Index and are available in CANSIM table 330-0008.
Contact information
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