Canadian rail freight volume up one percent in July

Intermodal freight loadings rose 3.6% and freight loadings from the U.S. were up 7.5%.

Statistics Canada announced that the country’s railways carried a total of 33.3 million tonnes of freight in July, up 1.0% from the same month a year earlier.

The Federal agency reports that the monthly increase is due to increases in intermodal freight loadings and freight loadings from U.S. rail connections.

July intermodal freight loadings rose 3.6% year over year to 3.1 million tonnes and freight loadings from the U.S. were up 7.5% to 3.8 million tonnes.

Domestic non-intermodal freight (carloads) edged down 0.2% (-56 500 tonnes) to 26.4 million tonnes compared with July 2018.

Contributing to the decline were iron ores and concentrates (-4.9% or -276 000 tonnes), other cereal grains (-54.4% or -249 000 tonnes), potash (-9.7% or -189 000 tonnes) and lumber (-16.7% or -163 000 tonnes).

These were offset by increased loadings of coal (+21.0% or +570 000 tonnes), fuel oils and crude petroleum (+26.5% or +423 000 tonnes) and other oil seeds and nuts and other agricultural products (+140.4% or +216 000 tonnes).