Railway carloadings, December 2022
Archived Content
Information identified as archived is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please "contact us" to request a format other than those available.
Released: 2023-02-24
28.4 million metric tonnes
December 2022
0.5% 
(12-month change)
Highlights
In December, Canadian railways carried 28.4 million tonnes of freight, up slightly (+0.5%) from December 2021, marking the third consecutive month of year-over-year growth.
For 2022 as a whole, rail cargo volume totalled 366.4 million tonnes, up slightly (+0.5%) from 2021 levels, driven by increases in carloadings of some energy products and iron ores.
To further explore current and historical data in an interactive format, please visit the "Monthly Railway Carloadings: Interactive Dashboard."
Chart 1
Railway carloadings, total tonnage
The year in review, 2022
The total volume of cargo moved by Canadian railways remained largely unchanged from 2021 to 2022, increasing slightly by 0.5% to 366.4 million tonnes, with gains in tonnage concentrated in the latter half of the year.
During the first half of 2022, rail freight volumes were consistently below 2021 totals, mostly because of declines in carloadings of grains amid the depletion of stocks stemming from the drought across the Prairies in summer 2021. For instance, loadings of wheat dropped an averaged 1.25 million tonnes year over year each month from January to August 2022. However, in the last four months of the year, wheat loadings averaged over 2.5 million tonnes more each month, in large part due to a bumper harvest from more favourable growing conditions across the Prairies in 2022.
Chart 2
Railway carloadings components, total tonnage, 2017 to 2022
In 2022, non-intermodal loadings in Canada totalled 283.5 million tonnes, down slightly (-0.1%) from 2021 levels. Similarly, intermodal freight traffic also decreased slightly, down 0.6% to reach 36.8 million tonnes in 2022. However, container volumes were particularly strong during the last six months of 2022. Finally, traffic received from the United States reached an-all time high of 46.0 million tonnes in 2022, surpassing the prior record set in 2021 by 5.6%.
Key commodity shift in 2022
The slight decrease (-0.1%) in non-intermodal or commodity freight loadings in Canada in 2022 was driven by declines in loadings of some agricultural and food products, especially grain during the early part of the year. On balance, wheat loadings were down 10.9% from 2021 to 20.3 million tonnes in 2022. Loadings of canola fell 26.4% to 6.7 million tonnes in 2022, while other cereal grains were down 27.0%, reaching 4.9 million tonnes.
Other declines were reported for fuel oils and crude petroleum, with loadings of 12.1 million tonnes, down 11.0% from 2021 levels, while other chemical products and preparations were down 59.5%.
Chart 3
Railway carloadings, largest commodity differences, 2021 to 2022
The above-noted decline in non-intermodal freight traffic was moderated by large increases in several commodities. Loadings of coal rose for the second consecutive year, up 9.7% to 37.4 million tonnes in 2022. Higher gas prices and constraints on energy supplies affecting Europe were creating an even stronger demand for coal.
Loadings of other refined petroleum and coal products followed suit, increasing by 16.3% to 7.4 million tonnes in 2022. With COVID-19 pandemic-related restrictions lifted and more people travelling, loadings of gasoline and aviation turbine fuel was up 29.2% from 2021 to reach 2.7 million tonnes in 2022.
Loadings of iron ores and concentrates totalled 56.5 million tonnes in 2022, a 2.4% increase from 2021. Finally, loadings of freight motor vehicles increased from 1.2 million tonnes in 2021 to 1.9 million tonnes in 2022, an increase of 57.1%, the largest increase ever recorded.
Focus on December 2022
Canadian railways transported 28.4 million tonnes of freight in December, up slightly (+0.5%) compared with the same month in 2021.
The non-intermodal operations in Canada accounted for all the increase, rising 7.4% year over year to 23.0 million tonnes on the increased loadings of agricultural and foods products.
Moderating this growth were notable decreases in potash, fuel oils and crude petroleum, coal, lumber and other chemical products and preparations.
In December, intermodal freight loadings in Canada (mainly containers) fell 8.6% to 2.6 million tonnes, their first decrease in five months.
Finally, freight traffic from the US rail connections have declined year over year for four consecutive months, down 29.1% to 2.9 million tonnes in December.
Note to readers
The Monthly Railway Carloadings Survey collects data on the number of rail cars, tonnage, units and 20-feet equivalent units from railway transporters operating in Canada that provide for-hire freight services.
Cargo loadings from Armstrong, Ontario, to the Atlantic Coast are classified to the eastern division (eastern Canada), while loadings from Thunder Bay, Ontario, to the Pacific Coast are classified to the western division (western Canada).
Survey data are revised on a monthly basis to reflect new information.
The data in this release are not seasonally adjusted.
The Transportation Data and Information Hub provides Canadians with online access to comprehensive statistics and measures on the country's transportation sector.
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; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).
- Date modified: