Publications

The RAC and its members are collaborating with Transport Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Natural Resources Canada, the Delphi Group, and Pollution Probe to identify opportunities for further decarbonization in Canada’s rail sector. This Phase 1 report of the Rail Pathways Initiative establishes a common understanding of existing policies, programs, and initiatives from governments and industry that impact rail emissions. This report will contribute to the next phase of the initiative which is to develop and implement a roadmap for decarbonization in parallel to federal milestones of 2030 and 2050. This report does not speak to the path forward but provides an inventory of emissions reductions initiatives that exist today.

This report by the Conference Board of Canada, an independent, evidence-based & non-profit research organization, assesses the rail industry’s contribution to the Canadian economy using a “footprint” analysis. This measures the direct, indirect, and induced impacts of the rail industry’s business operations and investments. This analysis does not assess the impact of scenarios in which railways are temporarily shut down—events that have their own, and significant, impacts on the Canadian economy by restricting the flow of goods across the country.

This report by global management consultancy Oliver Wyman found that pipelines and Canada’s Class I Railways have equivalent safety records in the movement of crude oil. From 2014-18, Canadian pipelines and railways combined to move 216,987 billion gallon-miles of crude oil, 99.999% of which was transported without spillage. The report concludes that both takeaway modes – pipelines and rail – are required for Canada’s energy industry to thrive.