Welcome to RAC’s new Weekly Traffic Dashboard. On this page you’ll find information on the latest rail traffic trends, including a breakdown by commodity: grain & fertilizers (incl. potash); intermodal; forest products; automotive; coal; metals and minerals; and energy, chemicals and plastics.
Canadian Class 1 Freight Traffic
Last updated on August 26, 2025
In week 33 (August 10-16), Canadian Class 1 (CN and CPKC) network-wide freight traffic decreased by 1% (measured in carloads, or 6% measured in revenue ton-miles (RTMs)) compared to the same week in 2024. Across their North American networks, intermodal and coal volumes were up, while traffic of other commodities decreased.
Across the first 33 weeks of 2025, Canadian Class 1 network-wide carloads and RTMs were both up 2% compared to the same period in 2024 (+105,478 carloads and +5,913 million RTMs). Grain & fertilizers led RTM growth (+5,179 million RTMs, or +6%) while growth in carloads was led by intermodal (+137,079 carloads, or +6%). Coal carloads and RTMs were both up 6%. Automotive carloads were down 1% but RTMs were up 10% from longer average hauls. These gains were partially offset by traffic reductions of forest products; metals and minerals; and energy, chemicals and plastics.
* Includes potash.
The figure below shows Canadian Class 1 network-wide traffic in each week. When temperatures drop below -25 Celsius, railways are required to implement train length and speed restrictions to maintain safety, which unavoidably impact supply chain velocity and capacity. Extreme cold also impacts other parts of the supply chain. For example, terminal loading and unloading by railway customers often slows during extreme cold.
This year, in the three reporting weeks spanning February 2 to February 22, railway operations were impacted by persistent, extreme cold. Temperature data from select cities (including Thunder Bay, Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, Edmonton, and Calgary) show that temperatures dropped below -25 Celsius in 19 of 21 days in at least one of those locations, compared to just 1 of 21 days in the same period in 2024.
Notes: The dates indicate the first day of the week (e.g., “5-Jan” corresponds to the week of January 5 to 11). Canadian Class 1 data includes the network-wide operations of CN and CPKC.
Western Canadian Grain
In the 2024-2025 crop year (August 2024-July 2025), CN and CPKC moved 58.6 million metric tonnes of Canadian grain and grain products – 22% higher than the previous 3-year average.
In Week 2 (August 10-16) of the 2025-2026 crop year, CN and CPKC moved 561 thousand metric tonnes of Canadian grain and grain products.
Over the 2025–26 crop year to date, total shipments are 9% below the previous 3-year average. Shipper demand remains well below available capacity (as outlined in CN and CPKC’s 2025-2026 Grain Plans) while the supply chain is in position to deliver the new crop.
Crop year-to-date grain volumes (2 weeks)
1.25 million metric tonnes | -9% vs previous 3-year average
Notes: Data on Canadian grain shipments combine volumes from CN’s Western Canadian Grain Report and CPKC’s Canadian Grain Performance Scorecard. Weather data are from Environment and Natural Resources Canada. West min temp and West mean temp are calculated as the average temperature of cities throughout the Western Canadian Grain Supply Chain, including Thunder Bay, Regina, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Calgary, and Kamloops (Vancouver was omitted because temperatures there are not cold enough to cause significant supply chain disruptions).