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1. Canadian railways carried 28.2 million tonnes of freight in March, a 5.3% gain from the same month in 2012. Rail freight loaded in Canada as well as those received from the United States contributed to the increase.
2. Within Canada, combined loadings of non-intermodal freight (i.e., cargo moved via box cars or loaded in bulk) and intermodal freight (i.e., cargo moved via containers and trailers on flat cars) rose 4.4% to 24.6 million tonnes. The gain occurred solely on the basis of non-intermodal loadings as intermodal loadings fell during the month.
3. Non-intermodal loadings advanced 5.5% to 22.2 million tonnes in March. The rise was principally tied to four commodity groups - coal, potash, fuel oils and crude petroleum, and iron ores and concentrates. The combined growth in tonnage for these groups alone was higher than the total drop in tonnage from all commodities that fell during the month. In total, 30 commodity groups rose while 34 saw a decline.
4. Of those commodities that saw a drop in activity, wheat and colza seeds (canola) incurred the largest declines, with their reduced shipments accounting for more than half of the total drop in tonnage.
5. Intermodal loadings decreased 4.8% to 2.4 million tonnes. Reduced containerized cargo shipments were the sole factor behind the drop as trailers loaded onto flat cars rose during the month.
6. The Western Division accounted for 59.2% of the domestic freight loadings, up 4.0% from the same month in 2012 to 14.5 million tonnes. The remainder was loaded in the Eastern Division, which saw increased 4.9% to 10.0 million tonnes. 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.
7. Rail freight traffic received from the United States rose 12.1% to 3.6 million tonnes – the highest amount of freight shipped from the United States for the month of March. The gain was brought on by increases in both non-intermodal and intermodal loadings.