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Crude-by-Rail exports hit 13 year low as pipeline capacity expands In 2025, Canadian crude-by-rail exports drop to lowest level since 2012, averaging 77,246 barrels per day (b/d), a 13% drop from 2024’s average of 88,664 b/d.
This decline follows the completion of the Trans Mountain Expanded System in May 2024, which eased long-standing pipeline capacity constraints.
More pipeline capacity has enabled more crude oil exports to flow through pipeline route rather than by rail. Rail exports fluctuated throughout the year, peaking at 87,141 b/d in August and hitting a low of 62,847 b/d in June.
Despite a roughly five per cent decline between November and December 2025 volumes from 85,055 b/d to 81,189 b/d, December volumes remained eight per cent higher than the same period in 2024, when exports averaged 75,412 b/d.
Rail exports could remain low in 2026, as most oil production will continue to utilize available pipeline space over rail.
In general, pipelines are typically preferred mode of transportation as it is generally less expensive and considered safer and more reliable than shipping by rail. Although crude-by-rail has declined, it remains an integral part of Canada’s oil transportation system.
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