According to Statistics Canada, in October, the volume of cargo carried by Canadian railways totaled 32.8 million tons of freight, up slightly (+0.5 percent) from October 2021.
Overall freight volume was just under the five-year average of 33.3 million tons for October, with a record-setting increase in carloadings of wheat offsetting large declines in several commodities, including coal and iron ore.
October's small year-over-year increase in total freight carried was attributable to higher volumes of domestic loadings, both non-intermodal (mainly commodities) and intermodal (mainly containers).
Domestic non-intermodal freight loadings increased year over year for the seventh straight month in October, up 3.8 percent to 26.5 million tons, resulting mainly from a large increase in grain shipments, notably wheat.
Loadings of freight motor vehicles, including tanker trailers and flatbed trucks—on an upward trend since February 2022—grew 105.7 percent (+95,000 tons) in October from the same month the previous year, the ninth consecutive increase.
Moderating these increases were declines in several commodities. Loadings of coal fell 16.6 percent (-573,000 tons) from October 2021, the second consecutive month of year-over-year decline. This may reflect lingering production slowdowns at a mine site in British Columbia as well as a labor dispute that ended in early October at a large west coast coal terminal.
Iron ores and concentrates dipped 6.1 percent (-305,000 tons) in October compared with the same month in 2021, following seven consecutive months of increases.
Intermodal shipments originating from Canada—mainly containers—continued their growth for a fourth month, up 0.8 percent year over year to 3.2 million tons in October.
October growth reflects strong domestic and international demand for consumer goods. Indeed, according to Canadian international merchandise trade, Canada's imports (+18.6 percent) and exports (+14.8 percent) of consumer goods rose sharply year-over-year in October.
In October, freight traffic arriving from the United States fell year over year for the second consecutive month, down 21.4 percent to 3.1 million tons in October, the lowest monthly volume recorded since February 2021.