Combined container volume through the Port of Vancouver increased to 72,366 in September. This total was up 10.3% from August and 37.0% higher than September 2023.
CN container volumes through Vancouver were up 8.5% from August and 48.1% higher than a year ago.
CPKC’s total container volume was up 12.2% from August and up 27.2% from September 2023.
Port of Vancouver
Current Status
On-dock footage has decreased in recent weeks, according to the Port of Vancouver’s October 3 update, which coincides with both railroads moving significantly more platforms out of the port region.
Recent Surplus of Westbound Platforms v. Eastbound
Week
CN
CPKC
9/23/24 – 9/30/24
(1,504)
(249)
9/16/24 – 9/22/24
(62)
(657)
9/9/24 – 9/15/24
414
80
9/2/24 – 9/8/24
(1,028)
(265)
8/26/24 – 9/1/24
58
37
6-month weekly average
(1)
(1)
Total Train Volumes
Total intermodal train volume out of the Port of Vancouver rose significantly after two months with significant network disruptions. There were 26 more trains (+12.3%) compared to August and 23 more trains (+10.7%) than September 2023.
Canadian National
CN moved an average of 4 trains per day in September, up 10.7% from August. Train volume was up 21.2% from a year ago.
Average train size grew slightly from the prior month, with 2.5 more platforms per train, and 3.5 more containers per train. Compared to a year ago, CN trains carried 22.2% more containers per train.
Canadian Pacific – Kansas City
CPKC daily train volume in September was 22.1% higher than in August, and up 1.7% from September 2023. Average train size was slightly smaller in September, with 5 fewer platforms and 16 fewer containers per train.
Prince Rupert
Container volume through Prince Rupert fell in September. Prince Rupert saw 14,661 containers, down 10.1% from August. Compared to a year ago, container volume was up 38.1%.
The increase in containers over last year came from more containers per train, 287.5 per train in September 2024 compared to 225.9 in September 2023, and additional trains, with 4 more trains this year.
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