OTTAWA, Ont. — For the first time in five years, Canadian railways hauled more freight in February than they did in January, thanks mainly to big gains in potash and coal as well as in dried vegetables shipments destined for Asian markets.<br>
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Railways hauled 22.2 million metric tonnes in February, 3.1% more than they did in January, Statistics Canada reports. Traditionally, rail freight traffic in Canada slows considerably during February.<br>
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However, loadings this February were 1.4 million tonnes higher than in the same month last year, and 3.1 million tonnes higher than in February 2003.<br>
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Non-intermodal loadings totalled 20.1 million tonnes in February, up 3.3% from January. About 254,000 carloads were required to carry the non-intermodal freight in February.<br>
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Loadings of fresh, dried or chilled vegetables took the spotlight, increasing three-fold from January. Canadian pulse crops, such as peas, beans and lentils, which make up an important part of the fresh, dried or chilled vegetables, are in strong demand in India and China.<br>
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According to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the use of pulse crops as food is concentrated in developing countries, which accounts for about 90% of global food pulse consumption.<br>
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Among the top commodity groups, railways carried 1.6 million tonnes of potash, the highest level for February in five years. Potash shipments, most of which are destined for the United States, were up 355 500 metric tonnes from February 2004.<br>
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In addition, coal loadings, still driven by strong world demand, rose 7.7% from January and 13.5% compared from February 2004.<br>
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Loadings of intermodal freight, that is, containers and trailers hauled on flat cars, remained relatively unchanged from January. However, it appears that the proportion of trailers on flat cars is losing ground over containers on flat cars.<br>
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In February, freight arriving from the United States, either destined for or passing through Canada, totalled 2.3 million tonnes, about the same as January.<br>
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Compared to February 2004, non-intermodal loadings were up 6.4%, while intermodal rose 9.4%. Traffic received from the United States was up 9.1% over the same period.<br>
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