Statistics Canada reports that the volume of cargo carried by Canadian railways reached 30.2 million tonnes in August 2025, up 4.5% from the same month one year earlier.

With this increase, the overall freight volume in August was slightly above the five-year historical average of 30.1 million tonnes for the month of August.

Non-intermodal freight loadings (mainly commodities) in Canada were up for the second consecutive month, rising 4.3% year over year to 23.7 million tonnes in August, led by large increases in three commodities. Year over year, coal recorded the largest increase in August, with loadings rising 28.2% (+741 000 tonnes) from August 2024. This was followed by loadings of potash, up 19.0% (+369 000 tonnes) in August 2025 compared with August 2024, and loadings of iron ores and concentrates, which increased by 4.5% (+220 000 tonnes) over the same period.

Intermodal shipments-mainly containers-increased year over year for the sixth month in a row, up 22.5% to 3.1 million tonnes in August.

In August, freight traffic received from the United States fell 7.1% to 3.4 million tonnes. According to Canadian international merchandise trade data, Canada's rail imports from and exports to the United States were down respectively by -13.95 and -8.1% year over year in August.

 

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