2014
Rail Trends
www.railcan.ca
Yukon Territory
Northwest Territories
Nunavut
Hay River
C a n a d a
British Columbia
Churchill
Al berta
Prince
Rupert
CN
CN
S askatchewan
RMR
KCR
HBRY
M anitoba
Edmonton
CTRW
RMR
RMR
CP
KPR
Vancouver WCE
BCR SRY
AMTK
KFR
BNSF
Calgary
GSR
CP
Ontario
Saskatoon CN
APR
CP
CN
Regina
PDCR
CEMR
CP
Winnipeg
GWR
Thunder Bay
BNSF
CN
BNSF
St. Paul
Minneapolis
Rapid City
CP
CN
CP
BNSF
Kansas City
U n i t e d
RAC members as of Dec. 31, 2013.
For more detailed maps, please see the most recent
edition of the Canadian Rail Atlas.
ISBN: 978-1-927520-03-1
S t
BNSF
99 Bank Street
Suite 901
Ottawa, ON K1P 6B9
Telephone: (613) 567-8591
Fax: (613) 567-6726
Email: rac@railcan.ca
www.railcan.ca
Schefferville
Newfound land and
Labrador
Labrador City
WLRS
TSH
WLR
QNSL
AMMC
Quebec
CFA
Sept-Îles
SCFG Prince SCR
Edward
Moosonee
New
Brunswick
RS
CN
ONR
CFC
Québec
NCR
CFQG
AMT
SLQ
Montréal
Sudbury
OVR
HCRY
CP
CSX
Chicago
NS
CSX
NS
a t e s
CN
NS
CSX
Albany
Island
Moncton
NBSR
CN
EMRY
Nova
Scotia
Sherbrooke
AMTK
VIA CR
BCRY
GO
SSR
Toronto
OBRY
GEXR
SOR
OSR
NS
Detroit ETR
CSX
CFRR
CBNS
Halifax
MEMBER COMPANIES
2013
AMT Agence métropolitaine de transport
KRC
Keewatin Railway
APR
KPR
Kelowna Pacific Railway
AMTK Amtrak
KFR
Kettle Falls International Railway
AMMCArcelorMittal Mines Canada
WLRS Labroador Iron Mines Railway
BCRY Barrie-Collingwood Railway
LMR Last Mountain Railway
BRR
Battle River Railway
NBSR New Brunswick Southern Railway
BCR
British Columbia Railway Company
NCR Nipissing Central Railway
BSR
Big Sky Rail
NS
Alberta Prairie Railway Excursions
Norfolk Southern Railway
BNSF BNSF Railway
ONR Ontario Northland Railway
CN
Canadian National
OSR
CP
Canadian Pacific
OBRY Orangeville-Brampton Railway
CBNS
Cape Breton & Central Nova Scotia
CR
Ontario Southland Railway
OVR Ottawa Valley Railway
Railway
PDCR Prairie Dog Central Railway
Capital Railway
CFQG Quebec Gatineau Railway
CTRW Carlton Trail Railway
QNSL
Quebec North Shore & Labrador
CEMR Central Manitoba Railway
Railway
CFC
Charlevoix Railway
CFRR Romaine River Railway
CFA
Chemin de fer Arnaud
SCFG
Société du Chemin de Fer de la
RS
Compagnie de chemin de fer
CFL
CSX
Gaspésie
Roberval-Saguenay
SSR
South Simcoe Railway
Compagnie du Chemin de Fer
SOR
Southern Ontario Railway
Lanaudière
SRY
Southern Railway of British Columbia
CSX Transportation
SLQ
St. Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad
EMRY Eastern Maine Railway
SSRY Stewart Southern Railway
ETR
Essex Terminal Railway
SCR
Sydney Coal Railway
GO
GO Transit
TTR
Toronto Terminals Railway
GEXR Goderich & Exeter Railway
TSH
Tshiuetin Rail Transportation
RMR
Great Canadian Railtour Company
VIA
VIA Rail Canada
GSR
WLR Wabush Lake Railway
Great Sandhills Railway
GWR Great Western Railway
WCE West Coast Express
HBRY Hudson Bay Railway
HCRY Huron Central Railway
ii
2014
ASSOCIATE MEMBERS
2013
Absopulse Electronics Ltd
Marathon Drilling Co. Ltd.
Accuworx Inc.
Mecfor inc.
Alexander Holburn Beaudin & Lang LLP
Montréal Port Authority
Amsted Rail
NARSTCO
Bayside Canadian Railway
Ogborn Consulting Group, LLC
Bombardier Transportation
OWS Railcar Inc.
CANAC Railway Services Inc.
PNR Railworks Inc.
Canada Heavy Haul Railway United
Progressive Rail Specialized Logistics
Technologies Inc.
Quantum Murray LP
Canadian Heartland Training Railway
Rail Cantech
Services Inc.
Raildecks (2009) Inc.
Canadian Rail Research Laboratory
RailTerm
C-Core
RB&C Maintenance of Way
Clean Harbors Environmental Services
Red Giant Oil Company
Contrans Flatbed Group
Réparations ferroviaires K.L.N. Inc.
Crescent Point Energy
RTC Rail Solutions Ltd
CSTP Inc.
Sandy Cooke Consulting Inc.
Davanac Inc.
Siemens Canada Limited
Drain-All Ltd.
Soulanges Railway Services Inc.
Envirotec Services Incorporated
Stantec Inc.
Forma-Train
Swift Railroad Contractors
GATX Rail Canada Corporation
Tanis Peterson
Gestion AFM-Séma inc.
Tervita
HDR Engineering
T-Rail Products Inc.
Heenan Blaikie
Transportation Certification Services
Hewitt Equipement Ltd.
Vidal Street Industrial Park Inc.
IBI Group
Whiting Equipment Canada
Itech Environmental Remediation
X-Rail Signalisation Inc.
Kenneth Peel
Loram
iii
2014
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ii
Member Companies
iii
Associate Members
1
Message from the President
2Introduction
3Safety
3
Freight rail accidents
5
Passenger rail accidents
6
Accidents involving dangerous goods
8
Crossing & trespassing accidents
10Economy
10
Freight rail traffic
25
Passenger transportation
29
Financial highlights
35
Employment
37
Fuel management
41
Infrastructure investment and productivity
41
Property additions
44
Productivity
46
Appendix A – Safety definitions
48
Conversion factors
iv
2014
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
O
ur annual publication, Rail Trends, provides
a snapshot of Canadian railways’ economic,
environmental, and safety performance. While
the data in this year’s edition shows that Canada’s
railway industry continues to fulfill its role as the
backbone of a globally competitive economy, the
safety statistics remind us of the tragic accident in LacMégantic, Que. on July 6, 2013.
This accident deeply affected every railway – and
every railroader – in Canada. Canada’s railways have
always taken safety seriously, but the safety discussion
took on an even greater urgency and importance post-Lac-Mégantic. We know we are in a
different environment now, and we accept our position and our responsibility with humility.
Since the accident, Canada’s railways have worked with Transport Canada to develop
new train securement and operating practices to ensure rail safety. The industry has also
introduced new information-sharing, emergency preparedness, and first-responder
training initiatives, and has made significant investments to ensure the safety of its
infrastructure. The Railway Association of Canada now also requires companies to make a
commitment to safety culture, as a condition of membership in the association.
As we move forward, RAC will continue to work collaboratively with governments
and stakeholders to learn from the accident in Lac-Mégantic, and will implement new
measures to ensure that the rail sector remains globally competitive, sustainable, and most
importantly, safe.
Sincerely,
Michael Bourque
President and Chief Executive Officer
Railway Association of Canada
1
2014
INTRODUCTION
T
his is the 22nd edition of Rail Trends, the Railway Association of Canada’s (RAC)
annual report on the performance of Canada’s freight and passenger railway sector.
This publication contains a rolling 10-year review of financial and statistical results,
reflecting multiple aspects of rail performance in Canada.
The data in Rail Trends comes from RAC members – Class I, local and regional freight
railways, as well as tourist, intercity and commuter passenger service providers. While RAC
represents the majority of non-Class I railways in Canada, it does not represent the whole
sector. Data reflects performance in Canada only.
Canada’s Class I freight and passenger railways (CN, CP and VIA Rail) account for the
majority of Canadian rail activity. For that reason, most of the data presented in Rail Trends
reflects Class I carriers.1
This year’s data is categorized into four sub-sections:
• Safety
• Economy
• Fuel management
• Infrastructure investment and productivity
Year-over-year and 10-year comparison
200420122013
Revenue ton-miles (billions)
Revenue tonne-kilometres (billions)
Miles of rail operated *
Kilometres of rail operated *
Locomotives
Freight cars (000)
Gallons of fuel (millions)
Litres of fuel (millions)
Employees
Annual wage per employee ($)
235.1273.5291.2
343.2399.3425.1
30,551
26,923
27,270
49,167
43,328
43,887
3,2343,0633,043
996459
480472464
2,1842,1442,111
35,73634,62933,167
66,80482,88388,153
* Miles (kilometres) of rail operated includes rail over which a railway has operating rights.
1 Railways are classified according to their operating revenue or the nature of their operations. The threshold
for a Class I rail carrier is $250 million. Other railways are classified as Class II and Class III. (Source: Transportation Information Regulations (SOR/96-334).)
2
2014
SAFETY
Freight rail accidents
Reportable freight-railway-related accidents2 climbed 8.4 per cent in 2013 from the
previous year, and increased by 1.1 per cent from the 2008-2012 average. Since 2004,
overall reportable rail accidents have dropped by 31.8 per cent.
The number of accidents based on the freight sector’s workload, or the rate per billion
gross ton-miles (BGTM), 3 rose to 2.17 from a record low of 2.10 in 2012.
NOTE: Rail Trends safety data reflects the performance of RAC’s federally and
provincially regulated freight and passenger member-railways. The data in this report
comes from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) and the RAC. The TSB
maintains a database of safety performance statistics on federally regulated railways,
as well as provincially regulated railways that voluntarily report their data. RAC collects
similar statistics for its member-railways. Each organization uses the same safety
definitions, and the data reflects operations in Canada only.
Photo: CN
2 Please see Appendix A for the definition of a reportable railway accident.
3 The sum of ton-miles handled, calculated using the total weight of the trailing tonnage (both loaded and
empty cars) of the trains moved. It excludes the weight of the locomotives pulling the trains.
3
2014
S afety
Freight rail accidents
Freight
accidentsBGTM
Rate
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
1,685441.47
1,647457.95
1,578459.63
1,497463.36
1,304449.92
1,104397.29
1,155447.05
1,057473.31
1,060503.88
1,149529.56
CANADIAN RAILWAYS – FREIGHT OPERATIONS
freight accidents per billion gross ton-miles
5
4
3
2
1
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
4
2014
2010
2011
2012
2013
3.82
3.60
3.43
3.23
2.90
2.78
2.58
2.23
2.10
2.17
S afety
Passenger rail accidents
The rate of accidents per million passengers/commuters4 fell by 2.0 per cent to 0.68
between 2012 and 2013. This was the lowest passenger accident rate to date, and 26.3 per
cent lower than the five-year average of 0.93.
Passenger rail accidents
PassengerIntercity Commuter Tourist Total
accidentspassengerspassengers passengers(million)
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
70
77
64
72
71
73
67
74
52
51
4,18154,905
4,32258,235
4,32060,634
4,47863,393
4,89967,052
4,53865,962
4,47768,562
4,46168,427
4,24670,035
4,25070,092
252
277
360
378
352
175
222
192
214
215
59
63
65
68
72
71
73
73
74
75
Rate
1.18
1.23
0.98
1.06
0.98
1.03
0.91
1.01
0.70
0.68
CANADIAN RAILWAYS – PASSENGER OPERATIONS
passenger accidents per million passengers
1.5
1.2
0.9
0.6
0.3
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
4 The accident rate for passenger railways is determined by calculating the number of accidents per million
intercity and tourist passengers and rail commuters.
5
2014
S afety
Accidents involving dangerous goods
The number of accidents involving dangerous goods5 rose by 26.6 per cent in 2013 from
the previous year, and declined by 9.5 per cent from the 2008-2012 average. The rate of
accidents involving dangerous goods per 1,000 originated dangerous goods carloads rose
to 0.32 from 0.29 in 2012. More than 85 per cent of reportable dangerous goods accidents
in 2013 involved non-main-track trains.
Photo: CN
5 Accidents involving dangerous goods include incidents where road vehicles alone were carrying or recently
carried dangerous goods. One such accident in 2013 involved a collision between a train and a tanker truck
at a railway crossing, resulting in a release of petroleum crude oil. (Source: TSB)
6
2014
S afety
Accidents Involving Dangerous Goods
Total Accidents Involving Dangerous Goods Dangerous goods (DG)
carloads
2004217
2005229
2006196
2007206
2008170
2009145
2010149
2011129
2012124
2013157
DG accidents per 1,000
originated DG carloads
419,031
414,752
406,425
426,789
422,764
379,650
400,318
425,124
428,660
492,515
0.52
0.55
0.48
0.48
0.40
0.38
0.37
0.30
0.29
0.32
ACCIDENTS INVOLVING DANGEROUS GOODS
per 1,000 originated dangerous good carloads
500,000
0.6
450,000
0.4
400,000
0.2
350,000
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Dangerous Goods (DG)
carloads
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
0
DG accidents per 1,000
originated DG carloads
7
2014
S afety
Crossing & trespassing accidents
In 2013, crossing accidents6 increased by 4.0 per cent from the previous year, and edged
up by 0.6 per cent from the 2008-2012 average. Conversely, trespasser accidents7 dropped
by 17.3 per cent, year-over-year, and by 19.9 per cent from the five-year average.
6 A crossing accident is when a railway locomotive or car is involved in a collision with a motor vehicle or
pedestrian at a railway crossing, resulting in death, serious injury or property damage.
7 Trespasser accidents occur when people – primarily pedestrians who are not authorized to be on railway
rights-of-way – are struck by locomotives or railway cars anywhere other than at railway crossings.
8
2014
S afety
Accidents by type of occurence
CrossingTrespasser Other
accidents
accidents
accident types
2004287
2005299
2006280
2007246
2008237
2009206
2010204
2011179
2012198
2013206
104
89
122
132
77
75
91
69
75
62
93
26
46
50
54
38
28
47
40
65
ACCIDENTS BY TYPE OF OCCURENCE
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Crossing accidents
Trespasser accidents
All others
9
2014
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
ECONOMY
Freight rail traffic
Revenue ton-miles (Revenue tonne-kilometres)
Freight traffic increased by 6.5 per cent to a record high of 291.2 billion revenue ton-miles8
(or 425.1 billion revenue tonne-kilometres) in 2013 from the previous year. Traffic grew by
19.0 per cent from the 2008-2012 average of 244.8 billion revenue ton-miles.
Photo: CPR
8 The sum of ton-miles handled, calculated using the total weight of the commodities moved. RTM excludes
the ton-miles involved in moving railway materials or any other non-revenue movement.
10
2014
ECONOMY
Revenue ton-miles (Revenue tonne-kilometres)
Freight train
Freight train
miles
kilometres
(000)
(000)
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
Revenue
Revenue
ton-milestonne-kilometres
(millions)(millions)
74,284119,548
76,400122,953
76,451123,035
74,100119,253
71,712115,409
59,576 95,877
65,157104,859
66,082106,348
68,145109,668
67,207108,160
235,114343,232
241,745352,912
243,744355,831
247,709361,619
237,323346,457
210,898307,880
247,154360,809
255,001372,264
273,504399,275
291,172425,069
REVENUE TON-MILES (MILLIONS)
300,000
275,000
250,000
225,000
200,000
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
11
2014
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
ECONOMY
Carload traffic
Since 2010, freight rail volumes have risen as Canada’s economy has improved. Freight
carloads originated by railways in Canada9 increased by 2.9 per cent in 2013 from the
previous year, while the volume of freight loaded into those cars rose by 3.4 per cent. As a
result, the tonnage per carload crept up by 0.5 per cent from the previous year to a record
92 tons (83 tonnes) per carload. A summary of carloads by commodity grouping can be
found on page 19.
In 2013, carloads and tons originated increased by 9.2 per cent and 18.9 per cent
respectively from their five-year averages.
Photo: CN
9 A detailed profile of railway industry performance by province is available on www.railcan.ca.
12
2014
ECONOMY
Carload traffic
Carloads
Tons
Tonnes
Tons per Tonnes per
originatedoriginatedoriginated carload*
carload*
(000)(000)(000)
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
4,212 337,923306,563
4,290 343,464311,590
4,260 339,394307,897
4,196 337,989306,623
3,984 318,688289,114
3,367 269,028244,062
3,872 334,264303,258
4,044 337,074305,793
4,113 375,780340,907
4,234 388,621352,557
8073
8073
8073
8173
8073
8073
86
78
8376
9183
92
83
* Tons (tonnes) per carload: Tons (tonnes) originated divided by carloads originated.
CARLOADS ORIGINATED (000)
4,500
4,000
3,500
3,000
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
13
2014
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
ECONOMY
Intermodal traffic
Total intermodal traffic10 originated in Canada – including container11 and trailer traffic –
rose by 4.1 per cent to a record high of 2.7 million units. Traffic in 2013 was 12.6 per cent
higher than the five-year average.
10 Total intermodal traffic originated in Canada reflects both the Canadian and U.S. operations of Canadian
Class I railways. Intermodal units are actual counts of trailers and containers, regardless of size, and are not
“twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs)”.
11 A large, weatherproof box designed for shipping and/or transferring freight between rail, truck or marine
modes. Specialized containers are equipped with heating and cooling capabilities for perishable products.
14
2014
ECONOMY
Intermodal traffic originated*
TrailersContainers Total
(000)(000) (000)
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
1492,0102,159
1122,1342,246
1062,2512,357
1022,3342,436
1012,3962,497
832,0332,116
812,3612,442
802,4242,504
982,5402,638
1182,6282,746
* Reflects both Canadian and U.S. operations of Canadian Class 1 railways. Intermodal units are actual counts of
trailers and containers, regardless of size, and are not “twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs)”.
INTERMODAL UNITS ORIGINATED (000)
containters and trailers
3,000
2,500
2,000
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
15
2014
2010
2011
2012
2013
ECONOMY
Freight revenue (cents) per ton-mile (tonne-kilometre)
Freight revenue per ton-mile (tonne-kilometre)12 in 2013 declined by 0.1 per cent from the
previous year, as traffic growth outpaced revenue growth. Freight revenue per ton-mile in
2013 was 1.5 per cent higher than the five-year average.
Freight revenue per ton-mile
Revenue per
ton-mile
tonne-kilometre
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
Index
2001 = 100
3.372.31
3.642.49
3.872.65
3.842.63
4.202.87
4.002.74
3.992.74
4.042.77
4.142.84
4.132.83
103.1
111.3
118.3
117.4
128.4
122.3
122.0
123.5
126.6
126.5
FREIGHT REVENUE PER TON-MILE
5.0
4.5
4.0
3.5
3.0
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
12 Freight revenue per ton-mile is calculated by dividing freight revenue by total revenue freight ton-miles.
16
2014
ECONOMY
Track operated & Equipment in service
Canadian railways operated 27,270 miles (43,887 kilometres) of track13 in 2013, up 1.3 per
cent from the previous year. The industry’s freight car fleet fell by 7.9 per cent in 2013,
as shippers owned more of their own cars. The number of locomotives in service edged
down by 0.7 per cent, year over year.
Track operated & Equipment in service
Miles
Kilometres
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
Index
2000 = 100
30,55149,167
30,38048,893
29,97848,243
29,71347,816
29,36647,258
28,16345,323
27,65444,501
27,10243,617
26,92343,328
27,27043,887
105.5
104.9
103.5
102.6
101.4
97.3
95.5
93.6
93.0
94.2
Freight cars
in service
Locomotives
in service
99,141
101,606
99,946
92,373
83,984
75,836
71,788
71,750
64,485
59,395
3,234
3,253
3,271
3,165
3,046
2,742
2,954
2,977
3,063
3,043
NOTE: While Canada’s Class I railways discontinue service on some track segments,
they also sell or lease parts of their networks to regional and local railways that
serve rural and remote communities. While RAC represents the majority of nonClass I railways in Canada, it does not represent the whole sector. Rail Trends data
is reflective of RAC membership only. Thus, track segments acquired by non-RAC
members would have the effect of reducing the total track mileage reported in
Rail Trends
13 First main track only. Excludes second and other main track, passing tracks and crossovers, industrial tracks,
spurs and yard tracks. Excludes track used by intercity passenger trains, commuter & tourist trains, and
segments of track terminating in the U.S.
17
2014
ECONOMY
Track operated, by provinces and territories*
2012
MilesKilometres
2013
MilesKilometres
Alberta
British Columbia
Manitoba
Nfld. & Labrador
New Brunswick
Nova Scotia
Ontario
Quebec
Saskatchewan
Northwest Territories
4,1546,685
4,060
6,533
2,7034,350
237
381
724
1,165
419
674
6,38210,273
3,5035,638
4,6647,506
75
121
4,1506,679
4,1746,717
2,6624,284
162261
7201,159
419674
6,27010,091
3,5545,719
5,0838,181
75121
Total
26,92243,328
Intercity passenger trains
7,820
12,585
Commuter and tourist trains
2,837
4,565
Segments terminating in the U.S.
152
244
27,27043,887
7,82012,585
2,3653,806
152244
Grand total
37,60760,523
37,730
60,723
* First main track only. Excludes second and other main track, passing tracks and crossovers, industrial tracks, spurs
and yard tracks.
18
2014
ECONOMY
Carloads originated by commodity grouping
Rail Trends tracks 11 commodity groupings moved by the railway sector.14 Based on the
number of carloads moved, the largest increases among commodity groupings in 2013
(including each grouping’s year-over-year increase) were fuels and chemicals (+12.5%),
manufactured and miscellaneous products (+11.2%), and coal (+8.4%). The largest declines
were reported in the machinery and automotive (-9.6%) and food products (-7.4%) groupings.
The chart below illustrates carloads originated by commodity grouping as a percent
of all commodity carloads among RAC member railways. Some categories have been
grouped together.
CARLOADS ORIGINATED BY COMMODITY GROUPING
12% Agriculture
9% Coal
20% Minerals
5% Forest Products
4% Metals
5% Machinery & Auto
13% Fuels & Chemicals
4% Paper Products
1% Food Products
3% Manufactured & Miscellaneous
24% Intermodal
14 Statistics Canada provides monthly statistics of rail car loadings in Canada in its Railway Carloadings
publication. This publication offers a brief analysis, along with a number of tables showing carloadings and
tonnes carried for 63 commodity groupings.
19
2014
ECONOMY
Carloads originated by commodity grouping*
Forest
Machinery
Agriculture Coal MineralsProducts Metals
& Auto
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
412,099337,592639,764442,689326,020253,003
416,473353,197657,410433,138295,022235,480
453,151321,266600,823388,035362,000244,395
454,034349,983609,422317,158359,982234,830
430,292324,931574,645253,279369,475195,308
474,980277,048368,631182,395273,800148,123
462,445327,419703,270205,120160,895185,962
466,305348,556790,520228,448160,827186,522
472,474353,201805,952209,654161,541220,216
465,340383,013810,750215,254
150,906199,068
Fuels & Chemicals
Paper
Products
Food Manufactured
Products
& Misc.
IntermodalTotal
485,197333,061
469,655333,830
470,833274,092
470,876252,150
443,125228,072
401,141175,693
419,905170,823
432,657157,780
479,669149,740
539,566150,029
40,587 63,890 722,4124,056,314
44,169 65,629
769,9364,073,939
41,454 66,333 819,5524,041,934
41,822 65,923 832,6633,988,843
42,365 75,160 847,6473,784,299
42,232 79,445 741,8073,165,295
52,240 92,949847,832
3,628,860
54,948 94,935890,168
3,811,666
60,906 93,129946,223
3,952,706
56,405103,605 987,1864,061,122
* Not all member companies record carloads originated by commodity grouping. The Intermodal counts represent
an average load factor that determined the number of carloads reported.
20
2014
ECONOMY
Revenue from carloads originated by commodity grouping
On a revenue basis, the largest increases among commodity groupings in 2013 (including
each grouping’s year-over-year increase) were fuels and chemicals (+23.0%), manufactured
and miscellaneous (+14.1%), and coal (+11.2%). Year-over-year, revenues decreased in the
machinery and automotive (-5.3%) and food products (-3.9%) groupings.
The chart below illustrates revenues from carloads originated by commodity grouping as
a percent of all revenues from commodity carloads among RAC member railways. Some
categories have been grouped together.
REVENUE FROM CARLOADS ORIGINATED
BY COMMODITY GROUPING
16% Agriculture
9% Coal
11% Minerals
7% Forest Products
5% Metals
5% Machinery & Auto
16% Fuels & Chemicals
5% Paper Products
2% Food Products
2% Manufactured & Miscellaneous
22% Intermodal
21
2014
ECONOMY
Revenue from carloads originated by commodity grouping ($millions)*
Forest
Machinery &
Agriculture Coal MineralsProducts MetalsAutomotive
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
875513763798404397
948738811969429414
1,125676764928489433
1,157709819780476445
1,161706833646531443
1,259502525478317337
1,221598772500381394
1,297713898564424381
1,374749926611455508
1,433833973660448481
Fuels &
Chemicals
Paper
Products
Food Manufactured
Products
& Misc.
Intermodal
Total
2004 771595 70 931,8857,164
2005 804642 741122,1528,093
2006 836582 81114
2,377
8,405
2007 837541 811162,4528,413
2008 902531 891262,7028,672
2009 818423 941132,2737,139
2010 8534371281302,5928,006
2011 9284271461331,8937,805
2012 1,1554111611531,9978,499
2013 1,4204061551742,0199,001
* Not all member companies record revenue from carloads originated by commodity grouping.
22
2014
ECONOMY
Average: Length of haul/cars per train
In 2013, the average length of haul15 by transcontinental railways (CN & CP) and regional
and local railways increased by 0.3 per cent and 87.9 per cent, respectively, from 2012. The
average number of cars per freight train16 increased by 10.0 per cent in 2013.
Photo: CN
15 Calculated by dividing revenue ton-miles by revenue tons.
16 Calculated by dividing loaded and empty car miles by train miles.
23
2014
ECONOMY
Average: Length of haul/cars per train
Miles (kilometres) hauled
by transcontinental
railways (CN and CPR)
Miles (kilometres) hauled
by regional and
local railways
Average
cars per
freight train
MilesKilometres
Miles Kilometres
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
7871,267
7891,270
8031,292
8071,299
8181,316
8301,336
8501,368
8491,366
8681,396
8711,402
161
149
159
151
146
159
138
170
99
186
259
78
24079
25679
24381
23582
25687
16392
27481
15990
300
99
LENGTH OF HAUL (MILES)
1,000
750
500
250
0
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Class I
Regional and local railways
24
2014
2009
2010
Cars
2011
2012
2013
ECONOMY
Passenger transportation
Intercity passenger transportation
In the intercity passenger sector, passenger miles (kilometres) decreased 1.1 per cent in
2013 from 2012. A passenger mile denotes one mile travelled by one passenger, and is
used to measure the volume of passenger traffic. Passenger train-miles fell 3.8 per cent,
year-over-year, continuing a downward trend that began in 2008. The average number of
intercity passengers per train grew by 2.4 per cent, while the average length of journey
edged up by 0.5 per cent.
Photo: VIA Rail
25
2014
ECONOMY
Intercity passenger transportation
Passenger
cars in service Number of
passengers
(000)
20044654,181
20055384,322
20065374,320
20075384,478
20085404,899
20095594,538
20105454,477
20115444,461
20125424,246
20135524,186
Passenger train
miles
kilometres (000)(000)
20047,214 11,611
20057,415 11,933
20067,381 11,879
20077,330 11,796
20087,414 11,932
20097,334 11,803
20107,331 11,799
20117,273 11,705
20127,075 11,386
20136,809 10,958
26
2014
Passenger
miles
kilometres
(millions)
(millions)
8941,439
9191,479
9061,458
9121,468
9861,588
8941,439
8771,412
8881,428
8711,402
8611,386
Passenger car
miles kilometres
(000) (000)
49,707 79,995
49,966 80,412
49,400 79,501
48,708 78,388
49,140 79,083
47,290 76,106
46,275 74,472
48,239 77,633
48,725 78,415
43,673 70,285
ECONOMY
Intercity passenger transportation (continued)
Average intercity passengers
per train
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
124
124
123
124
133
122
120
122
123
126
Average passenger load factor* (%)
200453
200555
200654
200755
200859
200957
201057
201155
201254
201356
* A measure of the capacity utilization of public transport services.
27
2014
Average length of journey
miles
kilometres
219352
217349
214344
209336
206332
203327
204328
204328
213342
214344
On-time performance (%)
70
81
84
77
75
83
82
84
82
82
ECONOMY
Commuter transportation
Within the passenger sector, the total number of rail commuters in British Columbia,
Ontario and Quebec – the three provinces with commuter rail services – increased by
0.3 per cent in 2013 from the previous year. However, the average number of commuters
per train dropped 16.1 per cent from 2012.
Rail commuters
Commuter passenger17
mileskilometres
(000)(000)
2004214,089 344,544
2005224,833 361,834
2006237,781 382,672
2007247,066 397,615
2008256,123 412,190
2009245,942 395,806
2010256,134 412,209
2011278,244 447,791
2012288,161 463,752
20132,570,664 4,137,075
Average rail commuters
per train
Commuter train
miles kilometres
(000) (000)
2,749
2,820
2,730
2,808
2,832
2,876
3,008
3,171
4,356
4,477
4,425
4,539
4,394
4,518
4,558
4,628
4,841
5,103
7,011
7,205
Rail commuters (000)
in British Columbia, Ontario
and Quebec
2004287
2005283
2006300
2007339
2008340
2009301
2010310
2011255
2012342
2013287
54,905
58,235
60,634
63,393
67,052
65,962
68,562
68,427
70,035
70,266
17 Commuter passenger-miles (passenger-kilometres) data from 2004 to 2012 excludes GO Transit, while 2013
data includes it.
28
2014
ECONOMY
Financial highlights
Operating revenue
Operating revenue grew by 5.5 per cent between 2012 and 2013. There are three
components to operating revenue: freight, passenger and other revenue. Freight revenue
accounted for more than 90 per cent of total operating revenue in 2013, while passenger
revenue accounted for just over 5 per cent. Other revenue is largely composed of revenue
for services provided to passenger and commuter rail companies, as well as switching,
demurrage and miscellaneous rentals.
Operating revenue ($millions)
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
FreightPassenger* Other Total
7,931386506
8,823
8,794576570
9,940
9,430622561
10,613
9,516624564
10,704
9,957661579
11,197
8,433627539
9,599
9,551673544
10,768
10,305667560
11,532
11,322674637
12,633
12,040668622
13,330
* Federal, provincial and municipal funding of $435 million in 2009 for Intercity passenger and commuter services is
excluded.
29
2014
ECONOMY
Operating expenses
Operating expenses declined 1.8 per cent to $10.4 billion in 2013, from the record high
reported in 2012. Lower general and administrative (-18.5%) as well as transportation costs
(-0.5%) outweighed jumps in maintenance of equipment (+9.7%), maintenance-of-way
and structures (+5.1%), and fuel (+2.9%).
Operating expenses ($millions)*
Maintenance
Transportation
Fuel
of equipment
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
Maintenance-of-way General and
and structures
administrative
2004
2005
2006**
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
*
2,180 8621,290
2,241 1,1591,382
2,224 1,3671,575
2,337 1,5131,634
2,376 2,0321,564
2,065 1,2121,555
2,195 1,4641,452
2,381 1,8541,570
2,534 2,0021,549
2,521 2,0611,698
Total operating
expenses
1,421 1,3667,119
1,493 1,5017,776
1,408 1,6378,211
1,549 1,4628,495
1,718 1,4779,167
1,612 1,9088,352
1,766 2,2949,171
1,910 2,0549,769
1,873 2,61710,575
1,968 2,13210,380
Charges for restructuring, relocation and write-down of assets are excluded.
** CN restated 2006 Maintenance of equipment and Maintenance-of-way and structures expenses. The net
impact on 2006 Total operating expenses were nil.
30
2014
ECONOMY
Operating income
Operating income18 jumped by 43.3 per cent in 2013 from the previous year. The following
table and graph illustrate the rail sector’s operating income trend.
Operating income ($millions)
Income
20041,704
20052,164
20062,402
20072,209
20082,030
20091,247
20101,598
20111,763
20122,058
20132,950
OPERATING INCOME (MILLIONS)
3,500
2,500
1,500
500
2004
2005
2006
2007
18 Operating income data from 2011-2013 has been revised.
31
2014
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
ECONOMY
Taxes
In 2013, total railway industry taxes increased by 55.6 per cent to $1.2 billion. The main
contributor to this overall rise was income tax, which quadrupled from the previous year as
a result of deferred payments and increased income tax rates in certain jurisdictions.
Taxes by category ($millions)
Locomotive
fuel &
Property
excise tax
tax
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
174
180
188
188
187
177
195
204
220
219
141
155
155
154
152
152
150
153
158
169
Other
sales
tax
Capital tax
& customs
duties
90
98
102
97
99
97
96
70
70
43
25
31
21
15
14
14
14
0
0
1
Income
tax
118
101
471
381
323
265
185
372
159
629
TAXES BY CATEGORY
18% Locomotive
fuel and excise tax
14% Property tax
4% Other sales tax
52% Income tax
12% Payroll tax
32
2014
Payroll
taxes
150
151
147
154
155
148
147
158
170
150
Total
698
716
1,084
989
930
853
787
957
777
1,209
ECONOMY
Payroll taxes ($millions)
Canada/
QuebecUnemployment Health
Pension Plan
Insurance
Taxes
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
Total
713742150
723643151
723243147
753346154
773345155
743044148
733143147
773447158
843749170
753243
150
Photo: CN
33
2014
ECONOMY
Taxes by jurisdiction ($000)
Locomotive
Fuel tax
fuel & excise tax
per litre (cents)
Property Tax
2012
2013
20132012
2013
Alberta4,787
4,7391.513,950
15,825
British Columbia
53,221
56,90410.740,035
42,011
Manitoba10,865
10,6876.313,922
14,118
Nfld. & Labrador
0
016.555
33
New Brunswick
1,182
1,1954.31,396
1,865
Nova Scotia
0
015.43,089
3,000
Ontario25,590
23,8354.536,182
34,300
Quebec4,621
4,1433.034,029
38,863
Saskatchewan38,912
38,64515.015,283
18,542
Northwest Territories
0
0
11.474
61
Federal80,453
78,791
Total219,631
218,939
4.0
0
0
158,016
168,617
Capital tax &
Other sales tax
customs duties
2012
201320122013
Alberta69
73
136
British Columbia
1,532
16,674
0
Manitoba11,890
14,089
-183
Nfld. & Labrador
0
0
0
New Brunswick
0
0
0
Nova Scotia
-5
0
2
Ontario1,590
26
406
Quebec12,944
469
0
Saskatchewan7,200
10,908
90
Northwest Territories
0
0
0
594
0
137
0
0
23
118
0
88
0
Federal34,788
380
0
Total70,008
42,618
451
-376
584
34
2014
Income Tax
2012
2013
13,826
627
454
0
0
937
22,952
7,307
0
0
46,384
0
612
0
0
4
47,248
28,471
649
0
112,721 505,634
158,824629,002
ECONOMY
Employment
The average number of people employed by the Canadian railway industry fell by
4.2 per cent in 2013, while rail sector compensation grew by 1.9 per cent. As a result, the
average annual wage per employee increased by 6.4 per cent from the previous year.
Photo: VIA Rail
35
2014
ECONOMY
Employment
Total
compensation
($millions)*
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
AverageAverage
number of
annual wage
employees per employee ($)
2,387
2,548
2,535
2,566
2,633
2,439
2,584
2,797
2,870
2,924
35,73666,804
35,38971,994
34,55873,356
34,93873,440
35,20874,790
32,33775,415
32,56579,346
33,62483,163
34,62982,883
33,16788,153
* Compensation includes salaries and compensation paid and excludes company paid benefits such as Canada/
Quebec Pension Plan, Unemployment Insurance and health taxes.
EMPLOYMENT
90,000
70,000
50,000
30,000
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Average annual wage ($)
Employees
36
2014
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
FUEL MANAGEMENT
F
reight railways consumed 1.6 per cent less fuel in 2013 than in 2012. With the
increase in revenue ton-miles in 2013, the freight railway sector’s fuel efficiency
improved by 8.0 per cent in 2013 from the previous year, and has improved by
29.4 per cent since 2004.
The freight railway sector tracks its fuel efficiency in revenue ton-miles (revenue tonkilometres) per gallon (litre) of fuel consumed. This measure is calculated by dividing the
sum of ton-miles handled by the total volume of fuel consumed.
Photo: CPR
37
2014
FUEL MANAGEMENT
Freight railways – Fuel Consumed
RevenueRevenue
Total fuel consumed
ton-miles per tonne-kilometres
gallons
litres
gallon of fuel
per litre of
(000)
(000)
consumed
fuel consumed
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
480,4992,184,384513
485,9152,209,007523
486,2182,210,384527
492,1252,237,237529
480,6612,185,120520
411,6121,871,221545
450,7822,049,289562
436,5581,984,178621
471,9122,145,346615
464,2752,110,651 664
165
168
169
170
167
175
182
202
198
214
REVENUE TON-MILES PER GALLON OF FUEL CONSUMED (000)
700
600
500
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
38
2014
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
FUEL MANAGEMENT
While the freight rail industry’s gross ton-miles increased by 5.1 per cent in 2013, the cost
of diesel fuel per gallon rose 4.6 per cent.
GTM & cost of diesel fuel per gallon
Gross ton-
Gross tonne-
Cost of diesel fuel
miles
kilometres
per gallon
per litre
(millions)(millions) ($)
(cents)
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
441,467
457,950
459,633
463,356
449,922
397,293
455,047
473,312
503,879
529,379
644,4781.81
668,5402.38
670,9972.81
676,4333.07
656,8214.23
579,9902.94
664,3033.25
690,9604.25
735,5904.24
772,8164.44
COST OF DIESEL FUEL
per gallon
5
4
3
2
1
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
39
2014
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
39.8
52.5
61.8
67.6
93.0
64.8
71.40
93.46
93.33
97.63
FUEL MANAGEMENT
NOTE: Under the 2011-2015 Locomotive Emissions Monitoring (LEM) Memorandum
of Understanding (MOU) with Transport Canada, the railway industry is committed
to helping Canada to reduce its total GHG emissions by 17 per cent below 2005
levels by 2020.
The annual LEM report contains locomotive fleet data, as well as information
on railway sector emissions and other sustainability issues. Visit www.railcan.ca for
more information.
Photo: CN
40
2014
INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT
AND PRODUCTIVITY
Property additions
The railway industry’s property additions19 in Canada edged down by 1.7 per cent in
2013 from the previous year, but increased by 6.8 per cent from the five-year average.
Investment (including year-over-year changes) decreased for terminals and fuel stations
(-21.2%), intermodal equipment (-21.0%), track and roadway (-7.2%), and rolling stock20
(-6.5%). These declines were offset by investments in buildings and related machinery and
equipment (+32.9%), as well as work equipment and roadway machines (+2.6%).
Additions to Property ($millions)
Buildings &
relatedSignals,
Track &
machinery
communications
roadway
& equipment
& power
Terminals &
fuel stations
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
364188 38
582189 95
613212 74
618255 44
688189 79
706257 72
804231 109
971314 108
961269 122
11
27
37
43
26
24
16
15
41
2013
892357 100
32
19 Expenditures that seek to acquire or upgrade physical assets, such as equipment or buildings.
20 Rolling stock includes a locomotive, engine, motor car, tender, snow-plough, flanger and any car or railway
equipment that is designed for movement on its wheels on the rails of a railway.
41
2014
INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AND PRODUCTIVITY
Additions to Property ($millions) (continued)
Work equipment
Rolling
Intermodal & roadway
Other
Total
stock equipmentmachinesequipmentadditions
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
3373036391,043
4163931151,394
3524844281,408
3503041181,399
2902968221,391
3173442721,524
4271549551,706
3071153641,844
2552249771,795
2391750771,764
ADDITIONS TO PROPERTY ($MILLIONS)
2,000
1,500
1,000
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
42
2014
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AND PRODUCTIVITY
ADDITIONS TO PROPERTY IN 2013
50% Track & roadway
20% Buildings & related machinery & equipment
4% Other equipment
3% Work equipment & roadway machines
1% Intermodal equipment
14% Rolling stock
2% Terminals & fuel stations
6% Signals, communications & power
43
2014
INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AND PRODUCTIVITY
Productivity
The best measure of freight railway labour productivity is the rate of revenue ton-miles
(revenue ton-kilometres) per employee, which divides the annual sum of revenueproducing tonnage by the average number of employees.
Employee productivity climbed by 9.5 per cent in 2013, as traffic rose and the average
number of freight railway employees fell.
Photo: Genesee & Wyoming
44
2014
INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AND PRODUCTIVITY
Revenue ton-miles per employee
RevenueRevenue Road
Road
ton-miles tonne-kilometres
miles per
kilometres
per employee per employee per employee per employee
(000)
(000)
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
7,35210,733
7,67911,210
7,96311,625
8,04511,745
7,62511,132
7,40410,809
8,28712,098
8,49612,402
8,77212,806
9,60814,026
0.93 1.50
0.96 1.54
0.98 1.58
0.96 1.54
0.94 1.51
0.98 1.58
0.96 1.54
0.90 1.46
0.86 1.39
0.91 1.47
REVENUE TON-MILES PER EMPLOYEE (000)
10,000
9,000
8,000
7,000
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
45
2014
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
APPENDIX A
SAFETY DEFINITIONS
The following definitions apply to railway occurrences that are required to be reported
under the Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board Act and its
associated regulations.
Railway occurrence
1. Any accident or incident associated with the operation of rolling stock on a railway, and
2. Any situation or condition that the Board has reasonable grounds to believe could,
if left unattended, induce an accident or incident described in paragraph (a) above.
Reportable railway accident
An accident resulting directly from the operation of rolling stock, where:
1. A person sustains a serious injury or is killed as a result of:
a. being on board or getting off the rolling stock, or
b. coming into contact with any part of the rolling stock or its contents, or
2. the rolling stock:
a. is involved in a grade-crossing collision,
b. is involved in a collision or derailment and is carrying passengers,
c. is involved in a collision or derailment and is carrying dangerous goods, or is
known to have last contained dangerous goods the residue of which has not
been purged from the rolling stock,
d. sustains damage that affects its safe operation, or causes or sustains a fire or
explosion, or causes damage to the railway, that poses a threat to the safety of
any person, property or the environment.
46
2014
APPENDIX A
SAFETY DEFINITIONS
Reportable railway incident
An incident resulting directly from the operation of rolling stock, where:
1. a risk of collision occurs;
2. an unprotected main track switch is left in an abnormal position;
3. a railway signal displays a less restrictive indication than that required for the
intended movement of rolling stock;
4. an unprotected overlap of operating authorities occurs;
5. a movement of rolling stock exceeds the limits of its authority;
6. there is runaway rolling stock;
7. any crew member whose duties are directly related to the safe operation of the
rolling stock is unable to perform the crew member’s duties as a result of a physical
incapacitation that poses a threat to the safety of any person, property or the
environment; or
8. any dangerous goods are released on board or from the rolling stock.
Serious injury
An injury that is likely to require admission to a hospital.
Dangerous goods involvement
An accident is considered to have dangerous goods involvement if any of a train’s cars
carrying (or having last contained) a dangerous good derails, strikes or is struck by any
other locomotive, car or other object. It does not mean that there was any release of any
product. Also included are crossing accidents in which the motor vehicle involved (e.g.
tanker truck) is carrying a dangerous good.
47
2014
C O N V E R S I O N FA C T O R S
miles to kilometres
1.6093
tons (short) to metric tonnes
0.9072
gallons to litres
4.5461
revenue ton-miles to revenue tonne-kilometres
1.4599
kilometres to miles
0.6214
metric tonnes to tons (short)
1.1023
litres to gallons
0.2200
revenue tonne-kilometres to revenue ton-miles
0.6850
48
2014