Railway carloadings, February 2017
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Released: 2017-04-26
27.0 million tonnes
February 2017
1.0% 
(12-month change)
The volume of rail freight carried in Canada totalled 27.0 million tonnes in February, up 1.0% from the same month last year.
Chart 1
Railway carloadings, total tonnage shipped
In February, freight originating in Canada increased 0.2% from the same month last year to 24.4 million tonnes. Non-intermodal freight decreased 1.3% to 266,000 carloads in February. The amount of freight loaded into these cars totalled 21.7 million tonnes, down 0.3% from the same month last year.
Tonnages of other oil seeds and nuts and other agricultural products (-43.7%), wheat (-10.0%), other chemical products and preparations (-31.6%), and coal (-3.6%) shipped by rail declined in February on a year-over-year basis.
In comparison, tonnages of potash (+17.1%), fresh, chilled or dried vegetables (+55.3%), other cereal grains (+34.1%) and fuel oils and crude petroleum (+12.0%) were up in February compared with the same month last year.
Intermodal freight loadings rose 2.8% to 178,000 units from February 2016 to February 2017. The increase stemmed from a 2.9% increase in containers-on-flat-cars and a 1.0% gain in trailers-on-flat-cars. In terms of weight, intermodal traffic increased 4.7% to 2.7 million tonnes.
Freight traffic received from the United States rose 9.1% to 2.7 million tonnes as a result of a 10.2% increase in non-intermodal freight and a 3.3% decline in intermodal freight from the United States.
Chart 2
Railway carloadings, top commodities shipped
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
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