Rail industry in Canada - statistics & facts
The rail industry in Canada consists predominantly of freight rail traffic, but also includes intercity passenger rail, commuter train services in three cities, as well as several urban light rail or metro systems. There are also a number tourist rail lines throughout the country. At the end of 2019, the railway network in Canada operated on over 64,800 kilometers of track and counted over 34,600 employees on average, the majority of which were directly involved in transport operations. While these figures have overall increased between 2018 and 2019, the rail industry was one of the most impacted sectors by the global COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The pipeline and railway protests, taking place that same year right before a national lockdown was put in place, also contributed to the economic downturn experienced by the industry.
