June 05, 2026
Canadian railways transported 32.5 million tonnes of freight in March, down 2.5% compared with March 2025, driven by declines in coal and wheat.
The federal agency notes that the freight traffic volume in March 2026 was just below the five-year average of 32.9 million tonnes for the month of March. During the first quarter of 2026, the cumulative volume reached 93.0 million tonnes, slightly higher (+0.7%) than the same three-month period in 2025.
In March 2026, non-intermodal freight loadings in Canada were down 2.8% year over year to 25.8 million tonnes, led by a sharp decline in carloadings of coal. Loadings of coal dropped by 20.7% and wheat shipments by rail followed suit, down 17.1%.
Following a year-over-year increase of 15.8% in February, intermodal shipments - mainly containers - originating in Canada fell 4.4% to 3.2 million tonnes in March 2026.
Freight traffic received from connections with US railways saw a year-over-year increase for the second straight month. It rose 2.3% to 3.5 million tonnes, although it remained below the five-year average of 3.9 million tonnes for the month.