Statistics Canada
www.statcan.gc.ca
Common menu bar links
Highlights
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.
- The Canadian railway industry loaded 19.0 million metric tonnes in April 2009, a 22.0% decline compared with the same month last year.
- The decline in tonnage stemmed from decreased freight loadings in the railways’ core transportation systems - non-intermodal and intermodal.
- In comparison to the same month last year, non-intermodal loadings fell 22.8% to 16.9 million metric tonnes. The decrease was the result of a drop in the majority of the commodity groups carried by the railways. Among the commodity groups with the largest decreases in tonnage were potash, coal, iron ore and concentrates, lumber, and iron and steel (primary or semi-finished).
- Despite the overall drop in non-intermodal loadings, wheat, colza seeds, (canola) and fresh, chilled or dried vegetables recorded strong gains in tonnage loaded compared to April 2008.
- Intermodal loadings fell 15.6% from April 2008 to 2.1 million metric tonnes. The decrease stems from a drop in containerized cargo and trailers on flat cars, which fell by 15.6% and 16.9%, respectively.
- Rail freight traffic coming from the United States dropped to 2.1 million metric tonnes, down 28.1% from April 2008.
