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July 9, 2010

Canadian rail freight traffic kept growing in April

The volume of cargo carried by Canadian railways increased in April, as both commodity loadings in Canada and traffic received from the United States rose, according to the latest figures published by Statistics Canada.

Total freight traffic originating in Canada and received from the United States increased to 24.7 million metric tonnes, up 17.5% from April 2009.

Compared with April 2009, freight loaded in Canada rose 15.2% to 22.4 million metric tonnes in April. The Canadian railway industry's core transportation systems, non-intermodal and intermodal, both contributed to the rise in cargo loaded.

Non-intermodal freight loadings, which are typically carried in bulk or loaded in box cars, rose 16.2% to 20.2 million metric tonnes. The commodity groups with the largest increases in tonnage were coal, potash, iron ores and concentrates and iron and steel (primary or semi-finished).

In contrast, several commodity groups registered decreases. Leading the drop in tonnage was colza seeds (canola), followed by other cereal grains, wood pulp and nickel ores and concentrates.

Intermodal freight loadings, transported through containers and trailers loaded onto flat cars increased 7.5% to 2.3 million metric tonnes in April, compared with the same month the previous year.

Rail freight traffic coming from the United States rose to about 2.3 million metric tonnes, up 45.6% from April 2009. Non-intermodal freight transported from the United States contributed to the increase.

(Source: Statistics Canada)