December 24, 2025
Canadian railways total freight volume was down slightly in October
Statistics Canada reports that the volume of cargo carried by Canadian railways reached 33.2 million tonnes in October, down slightly (-0.9%) from October 2024.
The October decline in rail traffic was driven by lower volumes in domestic non-intermodal loadings (mainly commodities) as well as reduced freight traffic received from railway connections in the United States.
Non-intermodal freight loadings in Canada edged down 0.5% year over year to 26.7 million tonnes, driven by large tonnage decreases in the loadings of several commodities, most notably canola.
In October, intermodal shipments-mainly containers-originating in Canada rose for an eighth consecutive month, up 4.9% year over year to 3.3 million tonnes. Intermodal rail volume was the second-highest amount on record for the month of October.
Freight traffic from US rail connections declined year over year for the ninth consecutive month, falling to 3.2 million tonnes in October, a decline of 8.6% from the same month last year. This was also the lowest volume for the month of October in five years.