Railway carloadings, August 2018
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Released: 2018-10-29
33.1 million tonnes
August 2018
7.7% 
(12-month change)
The volume of rail freight carried in Canada totalled 33.1 million tonnes in August, up 7.7% from the same month a year earlier.
Chart 1
Railway carloadings, total tonnage shipped
Freight originating in Canada rose 7.7% year over year to 29.6 million tonnes in August. Non-intermodal freight increased by 9.9% to 322,000 carloads. The amount of freight loaded into these cars rose 9.0% from August 2017 to 26.5 million tonnes.
In August, the commodities with the largest year-over-year increase in tonnage were fuel oils and crude petroleum (667 000 tonnes or +64.6%), iron ores and concentrates (667 000 tonnes or +15.1%), potash (287 000 tonnes or +16.8%), other cereal grains (133 000 tonnes or +45.5%) and canola (109 000 tonnes or +32.6%).
Conversely, tonnages declined for nickel ores and concentrates (-89 000 tonnes or -83.2%), fertilizers (excluding potash) (-77 000 tonnes or -21.9%), and wood pulp (-72 000 tonnes or -10.4%).
Intermodal freight loadings rose 0.1% from August 2017 to 215,000 units. In terms of weight, intermodal traffic declined 2.3% to 3.1 million tonnes.
Freight traffic received from the United States rose 8.0% to 3.5 million tonnes as a result of a 7.2% increase in non-intermodal freight.
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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