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12/29/2011
In 2010, Canadian railroads’ operating revenue increased 12.2 percent year over year to $10.8 billion, the second-highest amount on record, according to the Railway Association of Canada’s (RAC) recently issued “Rail Trends 2011” report. Freight revenue climbed 13.3 percent to $9.6 billion and revenue from intercity-, commuter- and tourist-rail services rose 7.3 percent to $673 million. Intercity passenger miles totaled 877 million miles, down 1.9 percent compared with 2009, but the average length of journey remained unchanged at 204 miles, the report states.
Canadian railroads invested $1.7 billion in 2010, up 11.9 percent year over year, to replace rail, ties and other track materials; improve bridges; purchase and rebuild rolling stock; upgrade information technology systems; and improve safety and operating efficiencies. They also reduced fuel consumption by investing in more modern, high-horsepower locomotives, higher-capacity freight cars and lower-weight aluminum gondolas, RAC officials said in the report. In addition, the railroads’ investments in safety awareness programs, grade crossing closures and technology initiatives helped boost safety in 2010, the report states. The accident rate dropped from 2.8 in 2009 to 2.6 in 2010 while passenger train accidents fell from 67 to 62. The passenger-rail accident rate — which is determined by calculating the number of accidents per million intercity passengers and rail commuters — decreased 10.5 percent to 0.85. The momentum railroads generated in 2010 carried over into 2011, especially freight roads’ volume, RAC officials said. "Our sector's 3 percent growth in cumulative volume of carloads through the first three quarters of 2011 … reflects improved economic conditions and the greater responsiveness and service performance of Canada's transportation supply chain backbone," said RAC President and Chief Executive Officer Cliff Mackay, adding that the rail sector anticipates modest economic growth in 2012.