Canadian Railroad Freight Movement Falls Year-Over-Year in March

On Monday, Statistics Canada (StatCan) reported that Canadian railways transported 32.5 million tons of freight in March, down 2.5% from March 2025, driven by declines in coal and wheat shipments.

Freight traffic volume in March was slightly below the five-year average of 32.9 million tons for the month. During Q1, cumulative freight volume reached 93.0 million tons, up 0.7% from the same period in 2025.

Intermodal shipments originating in Canada—mainly containers—fell 4.4% year-over-year to 3.2 million tons in March, following a 15.8% increase in February. StatCan said the decline coincided with lower exports and imports of consumer goods compared with a year earlier.

Freight traffic received from connections with US railways increased for the second consecutive month, rising 2.3% year-over-year to 3.5 million tons. Despite the increase, volumes remained below the five-year average of 3.9 million tons for the month.