Railway carloadings, November 2019
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Released: 2020-01-29
30.0 million tonnes
November 2019
-11.7% 
(12-month change)
Canadian railways carried 30.0 million tonnes of freight in November, down 11.7% compared with November 2018. This was the largest decline for the month of November in the past five years and the third consecutive year-over-year monthly decrease in tonnage.
Chart 1
Railway carloadings, total tonnage shipped
Overall, the sharp drop was led by widespread volume declines in freight loadings, coinciding with a labour disruption in Canadian rail transportation in November.
The non-intermodal freight tonnage fell sharply from November 2018, 12.8% to 24.1 million tonnes, reflecting broad-based declines for many commodities. The main decreases were reported in basic chemical products, principally potash (-32.5% or -636 000 tonnes), followed by hydrocarbon products: coal (-8.9%, or -271 000 tonnes), fuel oils and crude petroleum (-11.6%, or -254 000 tonnes) and gaseous hydrocarbons, including liquid petroleum gas (-17.8%, or -148 000 tonnes). Other significant decreases were reported in lumber (-26.4%, or -234 000 tonnes) and other cereal grains (-25.3%, or -172 000 tonnes). While the rail labour disruptions in November were an important factor, there were other factors, including a temporary slowdown in global demand for potash and the continuation of crude petroleum production limits in Alberta.
In November, there were increased carloadings for 12 of 64 commodities, most notably, other oil seeds and nuts and other agricultural products (+20.1%, or +103 000 tonnes); wheat (+3.9%, or +75 000 tonnes); and fresh, chilled or dried vegetables (+21.9% or +72 000 tonnes).
Over the same period, intermodal freight loadings decreased 5.0% to 3.0 million tonnes. Likewise, freight traffic from US rail connections fell 8.4% to 2.9 million tonnes.
Chart 2
Railway carloadings, top commodities shipped
Note to readers
Data from January 2019 to the month preceding the reference period have been revised. Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted.
The Monthly Railway Carloadings Survey collects data, including the number of rail cars, tonnage, units and 20-feet equivalent units, from railway transporters operating in Canada that provide for-hire freight service.
The Transportation Data and Information Hub, a website launched by Statistics Canada and Transport Canada, provides Canadians with online access to comprehensive statistics and measures on the country's transportation sector.
Contact information
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