6 RAIL TRANSPORTATION
INDUSTRY STRUCTURE
The number of carriers more than doubled in the 1990s, changing the
character of the Canadian railway industry dramatically. Nonetheless,
CN and CPR continue to account for most of the revenues in the rail industry.
In 2002, rail industry revenues totalled $8.2 billion; 88.5 per cent
of this was generated by the Class I carriers, CN, CPR and VIA Rail.
This was down slightly from the 90.5 per cent share in 1990. However,
revenues for the Class I carriers grew at an annual rate of 1.3 per cent
over the 1990 - 2002 period. On the other hand, revenues of the regional
railways (BC Rail, Algoma Central,1 Ontario
Northland, Cartier Railway and the Quebec North Shore & Labrador) declined
by 0.3 per cent per year. The shortline sector saw significant growth
in its revenues, from about $95 million in 1990 to about $392 million
in 2002. This was an annual growth rate of 12.5 per cent, which translated
into a relative increase in the shortline sector's proportion of rail
industry revenues from 1.5 to 5.0 per cent.
Table 6-3 compares revenues in the railway sector in 2001 and 2002.
Addendum Table A6-3 shows revenues since 1990.
TABLE 6-3: RAILWAY REVENUES, 2001 AND 2002
| (Millions of dollars) |
| |
2001 |
2002 |
| CN |
3,917 |
3,971 |
| CPR |
2,950 |
2,943 |
| VIA
Rail |
399 |
407 |
| Subtotal Class I |
7,266 |
7,321 |
| Regional 1 |
495 |
502 |
| Shortlines 1 |
384 |
392 |
| Total |
8,145 |
8,215 |
- Estimated for several
carriers.
Source: Transport Canada, Statistics Canada
VIA Rail continues to dominate the intercity rail passenger sector,
with about 95 per cent of total passenger revenues. Also providing intercity
rail passenger services are Algoma Central, Ontario Northland and the
Quebec North Shore & Labrador. Amtrak, the U.S. passenger rail corporation,
offers service to Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto (the latter in conjunction
with VIA Rail). The Great Canadian Railtour Company offers seasonal services
between Vancouver and Calgary and Jasper.
1 This is the final year that Algoma
Central will be recognized as a separate entity for operating and financial
reporting purposes. All reporting has now been integrated under CN Rail. Back
to text
Major Events in 2003
Infrastructure
Industry Structure
Employment
Energy
Freight Transportation
Passenger Traffic
Price, Productivity and Financial Performance
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