CANADA: CN and CPKC closed the 2025–26 crop year with separate grain movement records, reporting more than 33.8 million and 30.66 million metric tons, respectively.

CN freight train crossing a river bridge near Ashcroft, British Columbia
CN freight train crossing a river near Ashcroft, British Columbia; illustrative image, not a current project site. Photo: Miroslav Volek / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

CN’s total for grain from Western Canada surpassed its 31.2-million-ton record from 2024–25 by more than 2.6 million metric tons. CPKC’s 30.66 million metric tons exceeded its previous record from 2020–21 by about 72,500 metric tons and was 11% above the previous crop year.

The two results put both railways above 30 million metric tons in the same crop year, but their published reporting scopes are not identical enough to treat the totals as a head-to-head performance ranking.

CN Extends Its Record by More Than 2.6 Million Metric Tons

CN also moved 2.62 million metric tons in July, breaking its previous July record of 2.43 million set in 2020. One month earlier, CN reported a June record of 2.67 million metric tons, narrowly above the 2.64 million recorded in June 2020.

The final 2025–26 result also finished above the 27.0–29.5 million metric ton range CN had anticipated in its 2025–26 Grain Plan under normal operating conditions.

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CPKC Finishes 11% Above the Previous Crop Year

CPKC said its 2025–26 grain movement was 20% above the average for the previous five crop years. By Week 48, before the crop year had ended, CPKC had already moved more than 28.4 million metric tons and had set monthly Canadian grain records in five of the first six months of 2026.

Railway 2025–26 reported record Benchmark
CN More than 33.8 million metric tons More than 2.6 million metric tons above the 31.2 million record in 2024–25
CPKC 30.66 million metric tons About 72,500 metric tons above the 2020–21 record; 11% above 2024–25

The Two Records Are Not a Direct Railway Ranking

CN describes its crop-year figure as grain moved from Western Canada. Its prior-year reporting says the comparable Western Canadian total includes bulk and processed grain moved by carload.

CPKC reports Canadian grain and grain products. Its Grain Performance Scorecard says the weekly measure includes Western Canadian grain and grain products covered by the reporting framework as well as other non-regulated principal field crops, with movements reported across Canadian and U.S. destinations.

That difference matters when the two records are placed side by side: both are company records, but the totals should be read within each railway’s own reporting framework rather than as a simple measure of which railway performed better.

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