Railway carloadings, September 2017
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Released: 2017-11-28
31.9 million tonnes
September 2017
6.9% 
(12-month change)
The volume of rail freight carried in Canada totalled 31.9 million tonnes in September, up 6.9% from September 2016.
Chart 1
Railway carloadings, total tonnage shipped
Freight originating in Canada increased 4.6% from the same month last year to 28.5 million tonnes. Non-intermodal freight rose 2.8% to 304,000 carloads in September. The amount of freight loaded into these cars totalled 25.4 million tonnes, up 4.0% from September 2016.
Tonnages were up for canola (513,000 tonnes or +54.7%), fuel oils and crude petroleum (311,000 tonnes or +42.0%), iron ores and concentrates (289,000 tonnes or +6.6%), coal (269,000 tonnes or +10.2%) and potash (237,000 tonnes or +15.3%) in September, compared with September 2016.
Conversely, tonnages declined for fresh, chilled or dried vegetables (-518,000 tonnes or -44.9%), wheat (-180,000 tonnes or -9.8%), other oil seeds and nuts and other agricultural products (-110,000 tonnes or -43.0%), lumber (-99,000 tonnes or -9.6%), and plastic and rubber (-74,000 tonnes or -20.7%) in September on a year-over-year basis.
Intermodal freight loadings rose 9.8% to 208,000 units from September 2016 to September 2017. The gain was attributable to a 10.0% increase in containers-on-flat-cars and a 3.0% decrease in trailers-on-flat-cars. In terms of weight, intermodal traffic increased 9.5% to 3.1 million tonnes.
Freight traffic received from the United States rose 31.2% to 3.4 million tonnes, due to a 35.7% increase in non-intermodal freight and a 12.3% 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
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).
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