The Daily
|
 In the news  Indicators  Releases by subject
 Special interest  Release schedule  Information

Railway carloadings, September 2016

Warning View the most recent version.

Archived Content

Information identified as archived is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please "contact us" to request a format other than those available.

Released: 2016-11-30

Railway carloadings, total tonnage

29.8 million tonnes

September 2016

-1.6% 

(12-month change)

The volume of rail freight carried in Canada totalled 29.8 million tonnes in September, down 1.6% from the same month last year.

Chart 1  Chart 1: Railway carloadings, total tonnage shipped
Railway carloadings, total tonnage shipped

In September, freight originating in Canada decreased 1.6% from the same month last year to 27.2 million tonnes.

Chart 2  Chart 2: Railway carloadings, top commodities shipped
Railway carloadings, top commodities shipped

Non-intermodal freight declined 1.6% to 295,343 carloads in September. The amount of freight loaded into these cars totalled 24.4 million tonnes, down 2.2% from the same month last year.

Tonnages of iron ores and concentrates (-12.4%), fuel oils and crude petroleum (-38.5%), other chemical products and preparations (-47.0%), iron and steel-primary or semi-finished (-34.5%) and colza seeds (-9.8%) shipped by rail declined in September on a year-over-year basis.

In comparison, tonnages of coal (+17.4%), fresh, chilled or dried vegetables (+36.5%) and other oil seeds and nuts and other agricultural products (+64.8%) were up in September compared with the same month last year.

Intermodal freight loadings rose 2.3% to just over 189,000 units between September 2015 and September 2016. The 2.7% increase in containers-on-flat-cars offset the 13.7% decline in trailers-on-flat-cars. In terms of weight, intermodal traffic increased 3.9% to 2.8 million tonnes.

Freight traffic received from the United States fell 1.2% to 2.6 million tonnes as a result of a 2.3% decrease in non-intermodal freight, while intermodal freight from the United States increased 10.2%.

  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.

Contact information

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; STATCAN.infostats-infostats.STATCAN@canada.ca) or Media Relations (613-951-4636; STATCAN.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.STATCAN@canada.ca).

Report a problem on this page

Is something not working? Is there information outdated? Can't find what you're looking for?

Please contact us and let us know how we can help you.

Privacy notice

Date modified: