Canadian Railway Cargo Volume Slips for Third Consecutive Month in July

Statistics Canada (StatCan) reported on Monday (9-25-23) that in July, the volume of cargo carried by Canadian railways totaled 28.9 million tons. Year-over-year, that reflects a 5.1% loss of tonnage. The July decrease in cargo tonnage also marks the third consecutive monthly decline.

In July, the overall freight volume was below the five-year average of 31.1 million tons for the month of July. StatsCan notes that the year-over-year decline is due in part to a labor dispute during the month at Canada’s west coast ports, which reduced the shipments of potash and some energy products.

Freight traffic arriving from the US in July also remained well below the volume posted in the previous year for the 11th month in a row. Tonnage decreased by 13.8% year-over-year to 3.5 million tons—the lowest level in four years for the month of July.