Canadian railways carried 33.0 million metric tonnes of freight in April, up 0.6 percent from a year earlier, as stronger shipments of agricultural products offset sharp declines in coal and iron ore traffic.
The increase came despite weaker domestic rail activity. Domestic non-intermodal freight, made up primarily of bulk commodities, slipped 0.8 percent to 26.0 million tonnes. Intermodal shipments, consisting mainly of containers, also fell, while higher volumes arriving from U.S. railway connections pushed overall freight above April 2025 levels.
Coal recorded the largest decline among major commodities. Railways loaded 862,000 fewer tonnes than a year earlier, the second consecutive monthly drop and the largest year over year decrease in nearly six years.
Iron ores and concentrates also weakened, falling 6.9 percent, or 340,000 tonnes. Shipments of primary and semi-finished iron and steel products dropped 26.7 percent, a decline of 101,000 tonnes.
Agricultural commodities continued to support rail volumes.
Shipments of fresh, chilled and dried vegetables rose 127.7 percent from April 2025, an increase of 264,000 tonnes. The commodity has posted annual gains for five straight months following large increases in February and March.
Canola loadings increased 27.3 percent, or 225,000 tonnes, while shipments of other cereal grains rose 21.4 percent, adding 168,000 tonnes. Other cereal grains have now recorded year over year increases for 10 consecutive months. The rail movements reflected stronger exports of farm, fishing and intermediate food products during April.
Container traffic continued to soften. Intermodal shipments originating in Canada declined 2.6 percent from a year earlier to 3.2 million tonnes, marking the second straight monthly decrease.
Freight arriving from railway connections in the United States continued to grow. Cross-border traffic increased 14.7 percent to 3.8 million tonnes, the third consecutive annual gain, matching the five-year average for April.
Overall rail freight reached 33.0 million tonnes in April, above the five-year average of 32.2 million tonnes for the month, as gains in agricultural shipments and U.S.-origin freight more than offset weaker demand for coal and other industrial commodities.