The amount of freight transported by Canadian railways declined 6.9% to 28.3 million tonnes in June from a year earlier, according to Statistics Canada.
June marked the second consecutive month of year-over-year declines for railway freight in Canada, and the lowest level for the month of June in more than five years.
Reduced shipments of iron ore, potash, and crude oil were the main contributors to the June decline. Wildfires raging across the country disrupted supply chains, said StatsCan.
However, for the first half of the year, total cargo volume moved by rail transport amounted to 185.6 million tonnes, up 3.3% from the same period in 2022, and above the five-year average.
A strong 2022 crop year has meant that grain shipments by rail remained strong in this year’s first half. Loadings of wheat and canola were particularly strong in June of this year.
Loadings of plastic and rubber also increased in June from a year earlier.
Freight traffic coming from connections with U.S. railways was well below June 2022 levels, falling 18.6% to 3.3 million tonnes and marking the 10th consecutive month of decline, said Statistics Canada.
