Network Performance

In 2024, Canada’s transportation network performed well under normal conditions, efficiently supporting growing domestic and international freight and passenger demand and recovering quickly from disruptions. However, the system continued to face persistent challenges such as reduced connectivity, increasing volatility, and stagnant productivity. These issues highlight the need for sustained efforts to strengthen capacity, reliability, and resilience, both to seize future opportunities and safeguard Canada’s economic stability.

Figure 1: Canadian Port Container Traffic (TEUs, millions)

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https://tc.canada.ca/en/admin/content/media

Figure 1: Canadian Port Container Traffic (TEUs, millions)

	Halifax	Montreal	Prince Rupert	Vancouver	Saint John
1985	263,059	481,525	0	178,175	76,930
1986	270,762	531,525	0	222,781	60,176
1987	331,766	574,522	0	293,821	25,395
1988	412,166	560,441	0	337,324	17,019
1989	456,331	522,451	0	334,296	19,126
1990	447,250	568,103	0	383,244	15,684
1991	357,276	575,554	0	399,553	14,462
1992	302,377	537,256	0	449,265	15,757
1993	300,933	598,120	0	459,464	28,366
1994	311,097	728,799	0	521,777	28,424
1995	382,575	726,435	0	520,989	30,867
1996	392,273	852,530	0	630,035	37,202
1997	459,176	870,368	0	742,932	42,898
1998	425,435	932,701	0	865,009	42,720
1999	462,766	993,486	0	1,102,092	48,417
2000	548,404	1,014,148	0	1,230,020	48,274
2001	541,640	989,427	0	1,197,142	47,558
2002	524,336	1,054,603	0	1,558,786	37,868
2003	541,650	1,108,837	0	1,791,568	45,638
2004	525,553	1,226,296	0	1,982,488	48,700
2005	550,462	1,254,560	0	2,140,223	49,950
2006	529,890	1,288,910	0	2,302,399	44,556
2007	490,072	1,363,021	16,703	2,495,522	46,574
2008	387,347	1,473,914	181,894	2,492,107	49,240
2009	344,811	1,247,690	265,223	2,152,462	44,382
2010	434,910	1,331,351	343,230	2,514,309	46,303
2011	409,773	1,362,975	410,475	2,507,035	44,377
2012	416,151	1,375,327	564,859	2,701,508	51,008
2013	441,681	1,356,330	538,939	2,823,710	76,269
2014	399,613	1,402,217	618,147	2,911,974	89,615
2015	418,162	1,446,071	776,413	3,053,117	97,114
2016	480,516	1,438,012	736,645	2,929,396	90,262
2017	559,613	1,521,617	921,545	3,244,404	57,402
2018	546,687	1,679,351	1,036,028	3,397,928	59,102
2019	546,099	1,745,244	1,210,766	3,398,866	68,878
2020	506,651	1,607,288	1,141,381	3,467,729	79,179
2021	591,157	1,728,114	1,048,199	3,714,206	86,949
2022	596,353	1,722,703	1,035,646	3,570,813	150,194
2023	540,583	1,538,464	704,215	3,126,052	153,454

Carriers maintained fluidity while responding to increasing demand

Following a period of tight monetary policy in response to high inflation, 2024 marked the beginning of a modest economic recovery, both globally and within Canada. This rebound drove increased global demand for Canadian natural resources and more demand at home for imported goods.

Figure 2: Passenger Volumes by Mode, Index (Jan 2019 = 100)

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Index (Jan 2019 = 100)
	Air Passengers	Car/Other - Travellers entering or returning	Rail passengers	Public Transit
Jan.-19	100	100	100	100
Feb. -19	95.14439	93.4728	101.9136	95.58732132
Mar.-19	112.6392	126.1	106.4576	102.3617154
Apr.-19	104.9904	131.719	98.31666	97.76258546
May.-19	108.5243	143.6942	110.236	96.51957738
Jun.-19	117.7951	150.6367	115.4382	94.34431324
Jul.-19	127.8138	177.6374	123.5805	91.60969546
Aug.-19	131.4785	185.226	131.9975	90.86389062
Sep.-19	114.8791	142.1707	111.7169	101.9266625
Oct.-19	106.6263	132.2009	120.0579	105.1584835
Nov.-19	93.49732	115.4586	110.03	102.4238658
Dec.-19	108.2874	120.0632	118.8011	95.2765693
Jan.-20	99.74374	102.5232	101.9761	101.8645121
Feb.-20	95.32277	103.8916	42.94255	100.1864512
Mar.-20	60.69372	68.72841	32.5409	55.00310752
Apr.-20	3.646716	8.637837	1.94186	15.97265382
May.-20	4.35977	10.44245	4.652008	17.65071473
Jun.-20	8.550382	13.1363	9.760196	23.92790553
Jul.-20	15.66127	14.02309	17.59065	33.43691734
Aug.-20	19.97411	14.42425	24.08057	34.49347421
Sep.-20	18.49432	14.74521	24.55883	39.0926041
Oct.-20	16.48655	15.14606	19.53466	36.29583592
Nov.-20	14.11226	13.24092	16.65648	36.10938471
Dec.-20	17.37675	13.67734	17.05799	33.68551896
Jan.-21	14.16494	12.58896	10.86698	28.83778745
Feb.-21	9.907124	11.95035	10.32517	30.32939714
Mar.-21	11.81989	15.17379	13.03532	34.18272219
Apr.-21	10.84863	15.49763	12.10034	32.06960845
May.-21	10.81532	16.76237	13.51037	32.13175886
Jun.-21	17.48337	17.37938	20.87843	34.3691734
Jul.-21	36.52668	19.16452	36.47201	38.59540087
Aug.-21	56.37166	28.10361	54.52127	40.5842138
Sep.-21	51.66905	27.67319	53.1153	51.08763207
Oct.-21	51.68222	27.02056	65.98608	53.76009944
Nov.-21	48.99275	30.37929	57.30386	56.61901802
Dec.-21	59.19459	41.6729	59.00039	51.21193288
Jan.-22	38.70044	23.92016	25.86167	40.27346178
Feb.-22	40.33266	25.5279	32.25653	46.98570541
Mar.-22	62.43412	39.59783	55.9372	55.31385954
Apr.-22	69.77327	67.31742	56.1871	57.05407085
May.-22	82.98543	76.64946	67.45964	59.60223741
Jun.-22	96.62805	83.21957	82.85153	60.09944065
Jul.-22	105.5483	100.394	94.42755	58.23492853
Aug.-22	108.5992	103.1795	104.9655	60.41019267
Sep.-22	96.8084	86.19729	91.4702	72.71597265
Oct.-22	93.49609	92.58105	97.2131	72.65382225
Nov.-22	83.07129	78.43491	82.9824	72.90242387
Dec.-22	89.17041	77.09463	97.46705	65.50652579
Jan.-23	86.46598	74.9614	73.77506	70.60285892
Feb.-23	82.48744	71.91763	76.92712	67.74394034
Mar.-23	97.69848	89.23304	84.82193	78.1852082
Apr.-23	95.11003	95.26536	80.92421	70.78931013
May.-23	102.9014	105.6975	91.9875	76.6314481
Jun.-23	112.914	114.8842	98.26361	74.33188316
Jul.-23	122.1199	139.5467	102.9474	68.6761964
Aug.-23	124.5744	142.413	106.537	73.21317589
Sep.-23	110.8487	115.3649	96.29455	83.84089497
Oct.-23	104.434	107.1351	104.3294	84.46239901
Nov.-23	90.03019	93.672	90.98601	83.84089497
Dec.-23	97.43985	97.80727	100.7613	76.00994406
Jan.-24	91.50515	80.75234	85.36752	76.94220012
Feb.-24	90.1345	86.57396	82.34149	81.66563083
Mar.-24	102.7896	106.1435	93.66034	82.90863891
Apr.-24	98.32409	107.5571	88.57424	81.78993163
May.-24	107.0489	118.8452	101.4345	83.96519577
Jun.-24	111.9599	124.0957	104.2809	78.1852082
Jul.-24	0	147.5493	106.7668	77.75015538

Figure 3: Screened Passenger Departures (CATSA) Wait Times: % of Passengers Waiting more than 15 Minutes Before Screening (in 15-minute increments)

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Figure 3: Screened Passenger Departures (CATSA) Wait Times: % of Passengers Waiting more than 15 Minutes Before Screening (in 15-minute increments)

2024
	WT 15-30 mins	WT 30-45 mins	WT over 45 mins	2019	2023
Jan	3.37%	0.28%	0.03%	7.91%	8.20%
Feb	2.82%	0.17%	0.01%	9.77%	9.75%
Mar	1.85%	0.12%	0.00%	5.61%	6.70%
Apr	1.57%	0.09%	0.00%	5.51%	5.90%
May	2.05%	0.08%	0.01%	4.17%	5.35%
Jun	2.65%	0.16%	0.01%	6.19%	7.09%
Jul	2.68%	0.27%	0.02%	5.44%	7.42%
Aug	2.75%	0.30%	0.04%	6.53%	6.13%
Sep	2.21%	0.20%	0.02%	5.08%	4.28%
Oct	3.01%	0.24%	0.05%	5.52%	4.07%
Nov	3.57%	0.50%	0.15%	7.23%	4.15%
Dec	4.03%	0.23%	0.02%	8.45%	4.14%

Likewise, passenger traffic in all modes continued to recover from pandemic-era travel restrictions. Marine port, Class I rail, and air cargo volumes indicate that the transportation network effectively responded to rising demand—enabling the smooth movement of containerized finished goods entering and moving through the country, as well as bulk commodities like grain, coal, and potash, largely destined for export. Despite higher volumes, the system remained fluid during normal operations. In 2024, the average end-to-end transit time to import a container from Shanghai to Toronto via Canada’s West Coast was 33.6 days, down from 35.0 days in 2023 and below the three-year average of 36.5 days (although still above pre-pandemic levels). Airport operations were similar in 2024. Despite a strong rebound in passenger volumes, security screening wait times improved significantly. At the Top 15 CATSA airports, wait times declined notably compared to 2019, with over 95% of passengers screened within 15 minutes—meeting service level targets at all the Top 8 airports.

The network recovered efficiently from disruptions and threats

Figure 4: Container Transit Time Shanghai-Toronto via Canadian West Coast

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Figure 4: Container Transit Time Shanghai-Toronto via Canadian West Coast

WEST COAST CANADA
		Transit time (days)	Month-over-month difference (days)	Month-over-month percentage (%) change		Transit time (days)	Month-over-month difference (days)	Month-over-month percentage (%) change		Transit time (days)	Month-over-month difference (days)	Month-over-month percentage (%) change
Year	Month	Marine_Days	Dwell_Days	Rail_Days		Marine_Days	Dwell_Days	Rail_Days		Marine_Days	Dwell_Days	Rail_Days
2011	Jan	14.93	2.56	6.02	23.51
2011	Feb	14.50	3.17	6.13	23.81	-0.43	0.61	0.12
2011	Mar	14.30	2.63	6.20	23.13	-0.20	-0.55	0.07
2011	Apr	14.91	2.45	6.17	23.54	0.61	-0.17	-0.03
2011	May	14.22	2.29	5.81	22.32	-0.70	-0.16	-0.37
2011	Jun	13.54	2.38	5.62	21.54	-0.67	0.09	-0.18
2011	Jul	13.84	1.93	5.95	21.72	0.30	-0.45	0.33
2011	Aug	14.09	2.25	5.82	22.16	0.25	0.31	-0.13
2011	Sep	14.97	2.48	5.88	23.33	0.88	0.23	0.06
2011	Oct	14.48	2.29	5.72	22.50	-0.49	-0.19	-0.16
2011	Nov	15.21	1.97	5.60	22.78	0.73	-0.32	-0.13
2011	Dec	14.98	2.47	5.71	23.15	-0.24	0.50	0.11
2012	Jan	15.89	3.31	5.98	25.18	0.91	0.84	0.28		6.1%	34.2%	4.8%
2012	Feb	15.17	3.16	5.84	24.18	-0.72	-0.15	-0.14		-4.5%	-4.4%	-2.3%
2012	Mar	14.75	2.00	5.78	22.53	-0.42	-1.16	-0.06		-2.8%	-36.8%	-1.0%
2012	Apr	15.43	2.64	5.84	23.91	0.68	0.64	0.06		4.6%	32.2%	1.0%
2012	May	15.07	2.27	5.83	23.18	-0.35	-0.37	-0.01		-2.3%	-14.1%	-0.1%
2012	Jun	15.05	3.13	6.69	24.87	-0.02	0.86	0.86		-0.1%	37.8%	14.7%
2012	Jul	15.02	2.54	6.21	23.77	-0.03	-0.59	-0.48		-0.2%	-19.0%	-7.2%
2012	Aug	14.94	2.38	5.74	23.06	-0.08	-0.16	-0.47		-0.5%	-6.2%	-7.5%
2012	Sep	16.76	2.08	5.77	24.62	1.82	-0.30	0.03		12.2%	-12.4%	0.5%
2012	Oct	15.33	2.14	5.97	23.44	-1.43	0.05	0.20		-8.5%	2.5%	3.5%
2012	Nov	15.83	1.88	5.98	23.70	0.50	-0.25	0.01		3.3%	-11.7%	0.1%
2012	Dec	15.32	1.94	6.49	23.75	-0.51	0.06	0.51		-3.2%	3.2%	8.5%
2013	Jan	14.78	2.37	6.18	23.33	-0.54	0.42	-0.31		-3.5%	21.8%	-4.8%
2013	Feb	14.94	3.71	6.98	25.63	0.16	1.34	0.80		1.1%	56.4%	13.0%
2013	Mar	15.15	3.69	6.58	25.42	0.20	-0.02	-0.40		1.4%	-0.5%	-5.7%
2013	Apr	16.98	2.81	6.08	25.87	1.84	-0.88	-0.50		12.1%	-23.8%	-7.6%
2013	May	15.53	2.58	5.93	24.05	-1.45	-0.23	-0.15		-8.5%	-8.1%	-2.4%
2013	Jun	14.92	2.44	6.04	23.41	-0.61	-0.14	0.11		-3.9%	-5.3%	1.8%
2013	Jul	15.02	2.96	5.93	23.91	0.10	0.51	-0.11		0.7%	21.0%	-1.8%
2013	Aug	15.08	3.01	6.04	24.13	0.05	0.06	0.10		0.4%	1.9%	1.8%
2013	Sep	15.55	3.11	5.97	24.63	0.47	0.09	-0.07		3.1%	3.1%	-1.1%
2013	Oct	15.35	2.88	6.37	24.60	-0.20	-0.23	0.40		-1.3%	-7.4%	6.7%
2013	Nov	16.47	2.49	6.09	25.05	1.12	-0.39	-0.28		7.3%	-13.5%	-4.4%
2013	Dec	16.70	3.21	7.19	27.09	0.23	0.71	1.10		1.4%	28.6%	18.1%
2014	Jan	15.11	4.42	7.53	27.06	-1.59	1.21	0.34		-9.5%	37.9%	4.8%
2014	Feb	15.45	6.72	6.94	29.11	0.34	2.30	-0.59		2.2%	52.0%	-7.8%
2014	Mar	14.83	5.65	6.89	27.36	-0.62	-1.07	-0.06		-4.0%	-15.9%	-0.8%
2014	Apr	15.25	5.74	6.47	27.46	0.42	0.09	-0.41		2.8%	1.6%	-6.0%
2014	May	15.45	2.69	6.25	24.39	0.21	-3.05	-0.22		1.4%	-53.1%	-3.4%
2014	Jun	14.96	3.00	6.07	24.03	-0.49	0.31	-0.18		-3.2%	11.5%	-2.9%
2014	Jul	14.99	4.35	6.06	25.40	0.02	1.35	-0.01		0.2%	45.0%	-0.2%
2014	Aug	15.96	5.66	6.25	27.87	0.97	1.31	0.19		6.5%	30.1%	3.1%
2014	Sep	16.17	4.37	6.39	26.92	0.20	-1.29	0.14		1.3%	-22.8%	2.2%
2014	Oct	16.48	2.45	6.52	25.45	0.32	-1.92	0.13		2.0%	-43.9%	2.0%
2014	Nov	15.72	2.82	6.33	24.87	-0.76	0.37	-0.18		-4.6%	15.1%	-2.8%
2014	Dec	16.19	3.70	6.88	26.76	0.47	0.88	0.55		3.0%	31.2%	8.6%
2015	Jan	17.25	3.83	6.65	27.74	1.07	0.13	-0.22		6.6%	3.5%	-3.2%
2015	Feb	17.29	4.28	7.69	29.25	0.03	0.45	1.03		0.2%	11.7%	15.5%
2015	Mar	17.34	4.79	7.57	29.70	0.05	0.51	-0.11		0.3%	11.9%	-1.5%
2015	Apr	15.40	3.56	6.63	25.60	-1.93	-1.23	-0.94		-11.2%	-25.7%	-12.4%
2015	May	14.96	3.25	6.55	24.75	-0.44	-0.31	-0.09		-2.9%	-8.7%	-1.3%
2015	Jun	15.30	2.89	6.56	24.75	0.34	-0.36	0.02		2.3%	-11.1%	0.3%
2015	Jul	14.11	2.73	6.17	23.02	-1.19	-0.16	-0.39		-7.8%	-5.5%	-5.9%
2015	Aug	14.95	2.52	6.03	23.50	0.84	-0.21	-0.15		5.9%	-7.7%	-2.4%
2015	Sep	15.18	2.51	6.11	23.80	0.23	-0.01	0.09		1.5%	-0.4%	1.4%
2015	Oct	15.65	2.66	6.05	24.36	0.47	0.15	-0.07		3.1%	6.0%	-1.1%
2015	Nov	14.98	2.39	5.97	23.34	-0.68	-0.27	-0.07		-4.3%	-10.2%	-1.2%
2015	Dec	15.15	3.37	6.16	24.67	0.17	0.98	0.19		1.1%	41.0%	3.1%
2016	Jan	15.13	3.90	6.28	25.30	-0.02	0.53	0.12		-0.1%	15.7%	1.9%
2016	Feb	14.97	3.53	6.15	24.65	-0.15	-0.37	-0.13		-1.0%	-9.5%	-2.1%
2016	Mar	14.92	3.12	6.19	24.23	-0.05	-0.41	0.04		-0.3%	-11.6%	0.6%
2016	Apr	14.40	2.61	5.93	22.94	-0.52	-0.51	-0.25		-3.5%	-16.3%	-4.1%
2016	May	14.86	2.24	5.98	23.08	0.46	-0.37	0.05		3.2%	-14.2%	0.8%
2016	Jun	14.58	3.08	6.10	23.76	-0.28	0.84	0.13		-1.9%	37.5%	2.1%
2016	Jul	14.51	3.28	6.15	23.94	-0.08	0.20	0.05		-0.5%	6.5%	0.8%
2016	Aug	14.81	3.06	6.41	24.28	0.31	-0.22	0.26		2.1%	-6.7%	4.2%
2016	Sep	14.21	2.56	6.16	22.93	-0.60	-0.50	-0.25		-4.1%	-16.3%	-3.9%
2016	Oct	14.35	2.96	6.08	23.39	0.14	0.40	-0.07		1.0%	15.6%	-1.2%
2016	Nov	14.93	3.23	6.15	24.31	0.58	0.27	0.07		4.0%	9.1%	1.2%
2016	Dec	15.65	4.13	7.05	26.83	0.72	0.90	0.90		4.8%	27.9%	14.6%
2017	Jan	14.96	4.34	6.97	26.27	-0.69	0.21	-0.09		-4.4%	5.1%	-1.2%
2017	Feb	16.45	3.65	6.93	27.03	1.49	-0.69	-0.04		9.9%	-15.9%	-0.5%
2017	Mar	14.80	2.68	6.97	24.45	-1.65	-0.97	0.04		-10.0%	-26.6%	0.5%
2017	Apr	14.65	2.72	6.69	24.06	-0.15	0.04	-0.28		-1.0%	1.5%	-4.1%
2017	May	13.97	3.54	6.82	24.33	-0.69	0.82	0.14		-4.7%	30.1%	2.1%
2017	Jun	14.19	3.22	6.95	24.36	0.23	-0.32	0.12		1.6%	-9.0%	1.8%
2017	Jul	14.07	3.28	7.03	24.39	-0.12	0.06	0.09		-0.8%	1.9%	1.3%
2017	Aug	14.13	3.65	7.13	24.91	0.05	0.37	0.09		0.4%	11.3%	1.3%
2017	Sep	14.38	4.20	6.94	25.52	0.26	0.55	-0.19		1.8%	15.1%	-2.7%
2017	Oct	14.84	4.12	6.83	25.79	0.45	-0.08	-0.11		3.1%	-1.9%	-1.5%
2017	Nov	14.56	4.14	6.67	25.37	-0.27	0.02	-0.16		-1.8%	0.5%	-2.3%
2017	Dec	14.49	5.39	7.23	27.11	-0.07	1.25	0.56		-0.5%	30.2%	8.3%
2018	Jan	15.32	5.44	8.11	28.87	0.83	0.05	0.89		5.7%	0.9%	12.3%
2018	Feb	15.35	5.54	8.16	29.05	0.04	0.10	0.04		0.2%	1.8%	0.5%
2018	Mar	17.66	5.53	7.06	30.25	2.31	-0.01	-1.10		15.0%	-0.2%	-13.4%
2018	Apr	14.69	3.13	7.00	24.83	-2.97	-2.40	-0.06		-16.8%	-43.4%	-0.8%
2018	May	15.09	2.58	7.30	24.97	0.40	-0.55	0.30		2.7%	-17.6%	4.2%
2018	Jun	14.63	3.17	7.70	25.50	-0.46	0.59	0.40		-3.0%	22.9%	5.5%
2018	Jul	14.85	4.35	7.43	26.63	0.22	1.18	-0.28		1.5%	37.2%	-3.6%
2018	Aug	14.67	4.60	7.68	26.95	-0.19	0.25	0.26		-1.3%	5.7%	3.4%
2018	Sep	15.97	3.37	7.52	26.86	1.30	-1.23	-0.16		8.9%	-26.7%	-2.1%
2018	Oct	16.46	4.48	7.45	28.40	0.50	1.11	-0.07		3.1%	32.9%	-0.9%
2018	Nov	16.02	4.04	7.94	28.00	-0.44	-0.44	0.49		-2.7%	-9.8%	6.6%
2018	Dec	16.47	4.42	7.45	28.35	0.45	0.38	-0.49		2.8%	9.4%	-6.1%
2019	Jan	16.76	3.82	7.96	28.54	0.28	-0.60	0.51		1.7%	-13.6%	6.8%
2019	Feb	18.46	5.58	8.68	32.72	1.71	1.76	0.72		10.2%	46.1%	9.0%
2019	Mar	16.62	4.06	8.53	29.21	-1.84	-1.52	-0.15		-10.0%	-27.2%	-1.7%
2019	Apr	15.24	1.90	6.93	24.06	-1.39	-2.16	-1.60		-8.3%	-53.2%	-18.8%
2019	May	15.13	2.07	6.76	23.95	-0.11	0.17	-0.17		-0.7%	8.9%	-2.4%
2019	Jun	14.24	2.83	7.09	24.15	-0.89	0.76	0.33		-5.9%	36.7%	4.9%
2019	Jul	14.59	2.57	7.34	24.50	0.35	-0.26	0.25		2.5%	-9.2%	3.6%
2019	Aug	15.06	2.49	7.16	24.71	0.47	-0.08	-0.19		3.2%	-3.1%	-2.5%
2019	Sep	14.60	2.44	6.91	23.96	-0.45	-0.05	-0.24		-3.0%	-2.0%	-3.4%
2019	Oct	14.87	2.33	6.89	24.09	0.27	-0.11	-0.02		1.8%	-4.5%	-0.3%
2019	Nov	16.73	2.24	6.98	25.95	1.86	-0.09	0.09		12.5%	-3.9%	1.3%
2019	Dec	15.48	2.68	6.92	25.08	-1.25	0.44	-0.06		-7.5%	19.6%	-0.9%
2020	Jan	15.85	3.62	6.82	26.29	0.37	0.94	-0.10		2.4%	35.1%	-1.4%
2020	Feb	18.92	4.29	7.38	30.59	3.07	0.67	0.56		19.4%	18.5%	8.2%
2020	Mar	15.96	3.89	7.26	27.11	-2.97	-0.40	-0.12		-15.7%	-9.3%	-1.6%
2020	Apr	15.68	3.20	6.68	25.56	-0.28	-0.69	-0.58		-1.7%	-17.7%	-7.9%
2020	May	16.04	2.76	6.69	25.49	0.37	-0.44	0.01		2.3%	-13.8%	0.1%
2020	Jun	15.69	3.17	6.94	25.81	-0.35	0.41	0.25		-2.2%	14.9%	3.8%
2020	Jul	16.20	4.36	7.17	27.73	0.51	1.19	0.23		3.2%	37.5%	3.3%
2020	Aug	20.61	4.39	7.12	32.11	4.41	0.03	-0.05		27.2%	0.7%	-0.7%
2020	Sep	20.91	4.54	7.53	32.97	0.30	0.15	0.41		1.5%	3.4%	5.7%
2020	Oct	22.70	3.85	7.52	34.07	1.79	-0.69	-0.01		8.6%	-15.2%	-0.1%
2020	Nov	23.45	3.99	7.56	34.99	0.75	0.14	0.04		3.3%	3.6%	0.6%
2020	Dec	21.85	3.37	7.72	32.94	-1.59	-0.62	0.16		-6.8%	-15.5%	2.1%
2021	Jan	23.44	3.58	7.06	34.08	1.59	0.21	-0.66		7.3%	6.2%	-8.5%
2021	Feb	22.32	4.62	8.38	35.32	-1.12	1.04	1.31		-4.8%	29.1%	18.6%
2021	Mar	22.99	3.66	7.37	34.02	0.66	-0.96	-1.00		3.0%	-20.8%	-12.0%
2021	Apr	23.26	3.93	7.53	34.72	0.28	0.27	0.15		1.2%	7.4%	2.1%
2021	May	23.14	3.74	7.04	33.92	-0.13	-0.19	-0.49		-0.6%	-4.8%	-6.5%
2021	Jun	21.50	3.53	7.36	32.39	-1.64	-0.21	0.32		-7.1%	-5.6%	4.5%
2021	Jul	23.65	4.11	8.27	36.03	2.15	0.58	0.91		10.0%	16.4%	12.3%
2021	Aug	22.89	4.17	7.22	34.28	-0.76	0.06	-1.05		-3.2%	1.5%	-12.7%
2021	Sep	19.65	3.04	7.10	29.79	-3.24	-1.13	-0.12		-14.2%	-27.1%	-1.6%
2021	Oct	22.20	2.78	7.15	32.13	2.55	-0.26	0.05		13.0%	-8.6%	0.7%
2021	Nov	23.76	2.94	7.33	34.03	1.57	0.16	0.18		7.1%	5.8%	2.5%
2021	Dec	28.12	6.80	8.63	43.55	4.36	3.86	1.30		18.4%	131.3%	17.7%
2022	Jan	33.52	7.34	9.11	49.97	5.39	0.54	0.48		19.2%	7.9%	5.5%
2022	Feb	30.91	6.08	8.48	45.48	-2.61	-1.26	-0.62		-7.8%	-17.2%	-6.8%
2022	Mar	26.82	5.74	8.18	40.74	-4.09	-0.34	-0.31		-13.2%	-5.6%	-3.6%
2022	Apr	25.45	4.83	7.44	37.72	-1.36	-0.91	-0.74		-5.1%	-15.9%	-9.0%
2022	May	24.94	5.31	7.45	37.70	-0.51	0.48	0.00		-2.0%	9.9%	0.1%
2022	Jun	25.62	5.81	7.67	39.10	0.68	0.50	0.23		2.7%	9.4%	3.1%
2022	Jul	25.80	7.29	7.12	40.22	0.19	1.48	-0.55		0.7%	25.5%	-7.2%
2022	Aug	26.96	5.33	7.32	39.61	1.16	-1.96	0.20		4.5%	-26.9%	2.8%
2022	Sep	24.74	4.70	7.25	36.69	-2.22	-0.63	-0.07		-8.3%	-11.8%	-1.0%
2022	Oct	23.49	5.66	7.35	36.51	-1.25	0.96	0.10		-5.0%	20.4%	1.4%
2022	Nov	24.10	6.33	7.17	37.60	0.61	0.67	-0.18		2.6%	11.8%	-2.5%
2022	Dec	21.70	7.55	7.91	37.16	-2.40	1.22	0.74		-10.0%	19.3%	10.4%
2023	Jan	23.27	9.16	7.03	39.46	1.57	1.61	-0.88		7.2%	21.3%	-11.1%
2023	Feb	25.30	6.85	7.51	39.66	2.03	-2.31	0.48		8.7%	-25.2%	6.9%
2023	Mar	21.44	6.39	7.73	35.56	-3.86	-0.46	0.21		-15.3%	-6.7%	2.8%
2023	Apr	20.83	5.33	7.32	33.47	-0.61	-1.06	-0.41		-2.9%	-16.6%	-5.3%
2023	May	20.29	5.51	7.34	33.14	-0.54	0.18	0.02		-2.6%	3.4%	0.3%
2023	Jun	18.75	4.01	7.37	30.13	-1.54	-1.50	0.03		-7.6%	-27.2%	0.4%
2023	Jul	28.57	6.79	7.51	42.87	9.81	2.78	0.14		52.3%	69.3%	2.0%
2023	Aug	22.53	6.71	7.68	36.92	-6.04	-0.08	0.17		-21.1%	-1.2%	2.3%
2023	Sep	20.75	4.43	7.89	33.08	-1.78	-2.28	0.21		-7.9%	-34.0%	2.7%
2023	Oct	20.91	4.39	7.51	32.81	0.16	-0.04	-0.39		0.8%	-0.9%	-4.9%
2023	Nov	18.87177507	3.7	6.729655	29.30	-2.04	-0.69	-0.78		-9.7%	-15.7%	-10.4%
2023	Dec	22.03028335	4.14	7.217842	33.39	3.16	0.44	0.49		16.7%	11.9%	7.3%
2024	Jan	20.5019332	4.87	7.43679	32.81	-1.53	0.73	0.22		-6.9%	17.6%	3.0%
2024	Feb	20.47849225	6.57	7.434515	34.48	-0.02	1.70	0.00		-0.1%	34.9%	0.0%
2024	Mar	21.62440952	6.75	7.721974	36.10	1.15	0.18	0.29		5.6%	2.7%	3.9%
2024	Apr	19.10113419	6.37	7.517512	32.99	-2.52	-0.38	-0.20		-11.7%	-5.6%	-2.6%
2024	May	19.16541305	6.28	7.170117	32.62	0.06	-0.09	-0.35		0.3%	-1.4%	-4.6%
2024	Jun	19.51752794	4.94	7.640231	32.10	0.35	-1.34	0.47		1.8%	-21.3%	6.6%
2024	Jul	18.95370884	4.05	7.385411	30.39	-0.56	-0.89	-0.25		-2.9%	-18.0%	-3.3%
2024	Aug	18.0528109	6.58	8.21103	32.84	-0.90	2.53	0.83		-4.8%	62.5%	11.2%
2024	Sep	18.79048289	6.2	6.979302	31.87661	0.74	-0.38	-1.23		4.1%	-5.8%	-15.0%
2024	Oct	19.1772625	4.58	6.961144	31.03837	0.39	-1.62	-0.02		2.1%	-26.1%	-0.3%
2024	Nov	24.61179992	6.04	7.004872	37.65667	5.43	1.46	0.04		28.3%	31.9%	0.6%
2024	Dec	23.40375942	7.29	7.935694	38.62945	-1.21	1.25	0.93		-4.9%	20.7%	13.3%
2025	Jan	23.49835381	7.6	7.860882	38.95924	0.09	0.31	-0.07		0.4%	4.3%	-0.9%

While managing increased demand, Canada’s transportation network also faced a range of global and domestic disruptions and threats in 2024. Despite these challenges, the system was resilient—responding to and recovering from disruptions quickly and effectively. Coordinated efforts between industry and government enabled the network to adapt while sustaining higher overall volumes throughout the year.

Transportation GHG emissions stayed below 2019 levels

According to Canada’s 2024 National Inventory Report, transportation accounted for 23% of the country’s total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2023, amounting to 157 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO₂e). Road transportation was the largest contributor, responsible for 124 Mt, which represents 79% of transportation emissions and 18% of Canada’s total emissions. Passenger vehicles accounted for 51% of road emissions, while freight vehicles accounted for 27%.

Emissions from other domestic modes—including marine, aviation, and rail—totaled 18.5 Mt. This made up 12% of transportation-related emissions and 3% of the national total.

While transportation emissions have increased since the pandemic-related lows, they remain 12 Mt below 2019 levels. This reduction reflects progress in several areas, including improved vehicle efficiency, advancements in technology, increased adoption of zero-emission vehicles, and a gradual shift toward lower-emission fuels.

Navigating volatility in a complex operating environment

While Canada’s transportation recovered well from disruptions in 2024, the operating environment remains volatile. Canada’s vast and rugged terrain and its four-season climate makes variability a longstanding reality for transportation and logistics. This is further compounded by more frequent extreme weather events and the growing complexity of global supply chains, which are often vulnerable to disruptions across the world.

Although transportation performance continues to improve, it has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels and remains more variable across all modes. For example, West Coast ports continue to be competitive with U.S. counterparts but face longer transit times than before the pandemic. This level of variability requires shippers to plan further ahead to manage inventory and supply chain continuity.

These conditions are not unique to Canada. Similar disruptions and performance fluctuations are being seen globally, reflecting the wider pressures supply chains face in an increasingly interconnected and unpredictable world.

Declining connectivity is a growing pressure point

Figure 5: Trains Per Day in Corridors to West Coast of Canada Recent Utilization (% of prior year maximum of 83 trains per day)

Text description

Figure 5: Trains Per Day in Corridors to West Coast of Canada Recent Utilization (% of prior year maximum of 83 trains per day)

Date - Start of Week	Utilization (%)
12/10/2023	92%
12/17/2023	93%
12/24/2023	87%
12/31/2023	90%
1/7/2024	77%
1/14/2024	62%
1/21/2024	86%
1/28/2024	91%
2/4/2024	95%
2/11/2024	91%
2/18/2024	94%
2/25/2024	89%
3/3/2024	87%
3/10/2024	94%
3/17/2024	91%
3/24/2024	88%
3/31/2024	90%
4/7/2024	91%
4/14/2024	90%
4/21/2024	92%
4/28/2024	95%
5/5/2024	92%
5/12/2024	95%
5/19/2024	92%
5/26/2024	83%
6/2/2024	80%
6/9/2024	89%
6/16/2024	88%
6/23/2024	91%
6/30/2024	85%
7/7/2024	85%
7/14/2024	80%
7/21/2024	65%
7/28/2024	77%
8/4/2024	82%
8/11/2024	87%
8/18/2024	53%
8/25/2024	84%
9/1/2024	91%
9/8/2024	96%
9/15/2024	93%

As Canada’s transportation system adapts to changing demands, connectivity across the network has been gradually declining. This adds to volatility and influences both accessibility and costs. In the marine sector, the loss of direct service on certain trade lanes has contributed to longer transit times and increased variability. For example, Vancouver and Prince Rupert have lost direct connectivity with Shanghai, China, with ocean carriers introducing additional port stops along the voyage to respond to changes in demand and optimize their business operations. Each additional port call along the way can introduce delays which can grow at subsequent ports, adding uncertainty to vessel arrivals and volatility at BC ports.

In the rail sector, the number of stations served has declined by 54% since 1996, with reductions concentrated among smaller stations. While these changes have supported cost efficiency and operational fluidity for Class I rail carriers, they have also reduced the availability of direct service options for some shippers.

In the air sector, the continued use of a hub-and-spoke model has concentrated flights at major airports, which has improved connectivity through hubs but reduced point-to-point options for smaller communities. As a result, while these communities can access a wider range of destinations, they often do so through indirect and sometimes more expensive routes. These developments reflect broader shifts in how the transportation network is structured to balance efficiency with accessibility.

Figure 6: Port stops on container vessel voyages from Shanghai to BC Ports

Text description

Figure 6: Port stops on container vessel voyages from Shanghai to BC Ports

	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
Direct	109	93	87	76	68	40
1 Stop	259	187	177	187	145	154
2 Stops	167	252	157	138	105	124
3 Stops	34	19	54	71	64	74
4+ Stops	37	27	62	48	56	70

Productivity struggles in a shifting landscape

Productivity reflects how efficiently inputs, like labour and equipment, are used to produce goods and services. Multifactor productivity considers how effectively all inputs – including labour, capital, and technology – are used in combination, and is influenced by the quality of equipment and technologies, as well as workforce capabilities.

As a fundamental economic indicator, productivity is closely tied to long-term improvements in living standards and overall well-being. It represents the most sustainable path to increasing income per capita over time. In the transportation sector, higher productivity helps reduce the cost of moving goods and services, supports trade and economic activity and helps to improve quality of life.

From the 1960s to the 1980s, the transportation sector saw strong productivity gains, driven by technological advancements and regulatory reforms, often outpacing the broader business sector. However, since the 1990s—and especially after 2017—these gains have leveled off or declined. Recent disruptions, including travel restrictions and operational challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, have further compounded these trends.

Historically, productivity improvements have been closely linked to infrastructure investment, innovation, and regulatory modernization. In rail, for example, Class I carriers achieved gains through investments in centralized traffic control, double-tracking key corridors, and adopting precision scheduled railroading. In air transportation, advancements included more fuel-efficient aircraft, airport infrastructure modernization through the National Airports Policy, and improved air traffic management by NAV CANADA. In the trucking sector, reforms such as expanded weight and dimension limits, use of long combination vehicles (LCVs), and adoption of technologies like telematics and GPS routing supported productivity growth.

These examples highlight the importance of coordinated efforts in innovation, investment, and regulatory alignment to enhance productivity and strengthen the long-term efficiency and resilience of Canada’s transportation network. For instance, a recent Bank of Canada study attributes approximately one-quarter of productivity growth in the 2020s to digitalization^{Footnote 17}. Conversely, several studies have found that higher regulatory burdens are associated with lower levels of productivity, innovation, and investment—underscoring the need for balanced, streamlined regulatory frameworks that support both performance and progress^{Footnote 18}.

Addressing challenges to seize upcoming economic opportunities

Global population growth, evolving economic dynamics, and shifting trade patterns are expected to shape transportation demand in the years ahead. These trends may present opportunities for Canada to expand its trade relationships, diversify markets, and strengthen its role in global business and multilateral fora. Realizing these opportunities will require addressing longstanding structural challenges within the transportation system.

Key issues such as aging infrastructure, uneven multimodal integration, service gaps in certain regions, and complex regulatory environments continue to affect the system’s overall efficiency and adaptability. These factors can limit the network’s ability to respond to growing demand, changing cargo flows, and emerging trade corridors.

Improving the system’s ability to respond to these shifts will likely involve renewing infrastructure, adopting new technologies, improved data and network visibility, and policy coordination across jurisdictions and modes. Efforts to improve regional connectivity, particularly in under-served areas, may also help ensure broader access to economic opportunities.

By addressing these structural factors, the transportation system can be better positioned to adapt to long-term changes in global trade and population growth, while continuing to meet national priorities around reliability, resilience, and inclusive access.