Canada Intermodal Rail Volume Report: October 2024
Combined container volume through the Port of Vancouver fell to 68,613 in October. This total was down 5.2% from September and 6.2% higher than October 2023.
CN container volumes through Vancouver were down 8.2% from September and 10.0% higher than a year ago.
CPKC’s total container volume was down 2.1% from September and up 2.7% from October 2023.
Port of Vancouver
Current Status
On-dock footage has decreased significantly in recent weeks, according to the Port of Vancouver’s November 4 update, which coincides with both railroads moving more platforms out of the port region.
Recent Surplus of Westbound Platforms v. Eastbound | ||
Week | CN | CPKC |
10/28/24 – 11/3/24 | (328) | (413) |
10/21/24 – 10/27/24 | 130 | (276) |
10/14/24 – 10/20/24 | 1,036 | 83 |
10/7/24 – 10/13/24 | 438 | 52 |
9/30/24 – 10/6/24 | (72) | 292 |
9/23/24 – 9/30/24 | (377) | 878 |
6-month weekly average | 19 | 49 |
Total Train Volumes
Total intermodal train volume out of the Port of Vancouver remained unchanged from September, with 237 total trains. The additional calendar day in October led to a marginal decline of 3.2% daily train volume.
Canadian National
CN moved an average of 3.87 trains per day in October, down 3.2% from September. Daily train volume was up 14.3% from a year ago.
Average train size fell from the prior month, with 6 fewer platforms per train, and 25 fewer containers per train. Compared to October of last, CN trains carried 3.7% fewer containers per train this year.
Canadian Pacific – Kansas City
CPKC daily train volume in October was 3.2% lower than in September, and up 6.4% from October 2023. Average train size was slightly smaller in October, with 2 fewer platforms and 6 fewer containers per train.
Prince Rupert
Container volume through Prince Rupert fell in October to 13,870 containers, down 5.4% from September. Compared to a year ago, container volume was up 21.5%.
Despite running 4 more trains in October than September, the average train size dropped, with only 252.2 containers per train, down from 287.5 containers per train in September.
The overall increase in containers over last year came from running more trains, 11 more in in 2024 than October of last year.
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