RailState: CN Drives Canadian Intermodal Growth in April
Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
(Courtesy of RailState)
A combined 96,719 containers moved eastbound out of the western Canada ports in April, up 6% from March 2024 and up 56.5% from April 2023, according to real-time network visibility provider RailState, which independently tracks all freight rail movements across Canada. April volumes are the highest has ever recorded by RailState, which was established in 2021.
“The growth has all come from CN, which ran 16 additional trains out of Vancouver for a 16.9% increase in total container volume,” RailState reported May 3. “CN also added six trains from Prince Rupert leading to a 10% growth in container volume.” The increased CN volumes still have not been enough to significantly change the situation at the Port of Vancouver, the company noted.
Port of Vancouver: Current Status
According to RailState, CN’s on-dock footage increased steadily throughout the month and remains high at Deltaport and CN’s footage has doubled since the middle of April at Vanterm. While this Canadian Class I has “consistently moved more platforms westbound into the port,” it has not been enough to clear the container growth, RailState said. Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), on the other hand, has steadily reduced its on-dock footage at Vancouver, moving “significantly more platforms eastbound out of the port, which has helped reduce its on-dock footage,” according to RailState, which noted that in the past week, CPKC “moved a surplus of platforms into the port and likely have the capacity to keep on-dock totals low.”
Train Volumes Increase
According to RailState, total intermodal train volume grew 6.5% in April 2024, “driven entirely by the increases from CN.”
CN
CN moved an average of 4.50 trains per day, the highest daily average that RailState said it has recorded. This is up 17.2% from March 2024 and up 31.1% from the prior-year period. Additionally, CN increased the number of containers per train, averaging 317 containers per train, a 76% boost over last year, RailState said.
According to RailState, travel times on CN are still higher than earlier in 2024, but “they have started to improve slightly.” RailState’s network measures the 220-mile journey from Mission City, B.C., to Heffley, B.C. It said that the seven-day moving average hit 15.5 hours at the end of April, down from 17.3 hours in the middle of the month.
CPKC
CPKC train volume “remained steady” in April, but RailState said overall container volume “eased a bit, with smaller trains—holding an average of 5% fewer containers per train.”
According to RailState, travel times on CPKC “have been mostly consistent” on the 243-mile journey from Mission City, B.C., to Chase, B.C. The railroad’s intermodal trains “have consistently completed this stretch in about 10 hours.” Despite a “marginal, temporary uptick” toward the end of the month, RailState said travel times have averaged about 10 hours through the directional running zone.
Additionally, CPKC’s share of containers headed to the U.S. has also remained steady—around 25% over the past six months, RailState reported.
Prince Rupert
Intermodal performance through Prince Rupert in April also hit the highest levels RailState said it has recorded. Total container volume was 17,748, up 10% from March 2024 and up 39% from the prior-year period. Containers per train remained unchanged from March 2024 and train volume rose 10%, according to the company.
RailState also tracks containers as they move to their final destination, including across the U.S.-Canada border. The share of container volume headed to the U.S. out of Prince Rupert increased in April to 48% from 43.5% in March, according to the company. Container volume from the Port of Vancouver into the U.S. saw a marginal increase, RailState reported: 19.7% compared with 18.6% a month earlier.
Meanwhile, RailState has reported raising $4 million in new funding. “This new investment was led by a group of private equity and industry executives with deep experience in information services, SaaS, and engineering services,” the company reported May 7. The funds are slated to be used to expand RailState’s network coverage, including across the U.S.-Mexico border, and for product improvements.
“We’re grateful for this strategic support,” RailState CEO Jamie Heller said. “We’ve been moving quickly expanding our network and empowering rail users with critical AI insights to make better decisions. This funding helps us move even faster. We’re especially excited to be opening a new region of coverage at the U.S.-Mexico border.”
