Transportation Infrastructure in Canada
Following is the in-depth overview of transportation infrastructure in Canada:
Roads
Road Network Statistics
- Canada has a total of 1,042,300 km (647,700 mi) of roads, with 415,600 km (258,200 mi) paved, including 17,000 km (11,000 mi) of expressways.
- As of 2008, 626,700 km (389,400 mi) were unpaved.
Vehicle Registration and Usage
- In 2009, there were 20,706,616 road vehicles registered in Canada.
- 96% of registered vehicles were under 4.5 tonnes, while 2.4% were between 4.5 and 15 tonnes, and 1.6% were over 15 tonnes.
- Total vehicle travel distance was 333.29 billion kilometres, with most of it (303.6 billion km) by vehicles under 4.5 tonnes.
Transportation Contribution to GDP
- Trucking generated 35% of the total GDP from transport, surpassing rail, water, and air combined.
- Roads are the dominant means of passenger and freight transport in Canada.
Significant Road Links
- The Ambassador Bridge between Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, Michigan, handles a quarter of the US-Canada trade.
- Internationally, Canada has road links with the lower 48 US states and Alaska.
Infrastructure Development
- Management of roads and highways transitioned from provincial and municipal authorities with the initiation of projects like the Alaska Highway during World War II and the Trans-Canada Highway project.
- The Trans-Canada Highway, spanning 7,821 km (4,860 mi), was completed in 1962 at a total expenditure of $1.4 billion.
Regulatory Framework
- Regulations governing Canada’s highways include the 1971 Motor Vehicle Safety Act and the 1990 Highway Traffic Act.
Road Safety
- Canada’s road safety is moderately good by international standards, improving accidents per head of population and billion vehicle kilometres.
Railways
Railway Network Overview
- In 2007, Canada had 72,212 km (44,870 mi) of freight and passenger railway, with only 31 km (19 mi) electrified.
- While intercity passenger rail transportation is limited, freight transport remains common.
Railway Revenue and Operations
- Total revenues of rail services 2006 were $10.4 billion, with only 2.8% from passenger services.
- In a typical year, about $11 billion is earned, with 3.2% from passengers and the rest from freight.
Major Railway Companies
- Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Kansas City are Canada’s two major freight railway companies, operating across North America.
Freight and Passenger Statistics
- In 2007, 357 billion tonne-kilometres of freight were transported by rail, with 4.33 million passengers travelling 1.44 billion passenger kilometres.
- Employment in the rail industry totalled 34,281 people in the same year.
Passenger Rail Services
- Nationwide passenger services are provided by the federal crown corporation Via Rail.
- Three Canadian cities have commuter rail services: Montreal (Exo), Toronto (GO Transit), and Vancouver (West Coast Express).
Smaller Railways
- Smaller railways like Ontario Northland, Rocky Mountaineer, and Algoma Central operate passenger trains to remote rural areas.
Railway Infrastructure
- Railways in Canada use standard gauge, 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) rails.
International Connectivity
- Canada has railway links with the lower 48 US States but no connection with Alaska, although a proposed line exists.
- This is the only international rail connection.
Airports
- Air Transportation Contribution to GDP:
- In 2005, air transportation accounted for 9% of the transport sector’s GDP generation.
Key Air Carriers
- Air Canada, Canada’s largest air carrier and flag carrier, served 34 million customers in 2006 and operated 363 aircraft (including Air Canada Jazz) as of April 2010.
- CHC Helicopter, the world’s largest commercial helicopter operator, ranked second with 142 aircraft.
- WestJet, a low-cost carrier established in 1996, ranked third with 100 aircraft.
Industry Evolution
- The US-Canada open skies agreement of 1995 catalyzed significant changes in Canada’s airline industry, leading to a less regulated and more competitive marketplace.
Regulatory Framework
- Transportation enforcement personnel are employed by the Canadian Transportation Agency to uphold aviation safety requirements and carry out recurring inspections of all air carriers.
- The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority is responsible for air traffic security within Canada.
- The National Airports Policy was enacted in 1994.
Principal Airports
- Out of over 1,800 registered Canadian aerodromes, 26 are specially designated under Canada’s National Airports System (NAS), including those handling 200,000 or more passengers annually and the principal airports serving federal, provincial, and territorial capitals.
- Ownership of NAS airports, except for those in the three territorial capitals, is retained by the Government of Canada and leased to local authorities.
- The next tier consists of 64 regional/local airports formerly owned by the federal government, most of which have been transferred to other owners, predominantly municipalities.
Ports
National Harbours Administration
- The National Harbours Board managed harbours in Halifax, Saint John, Chicoutimi, Trois-Rivières, Churchill, and Vancouver until 1983.
- The Department of Transport previously supervised over 300 harbours across Canada.
Divestiture Program
- A divestiture program commenced around the turn of the millennium, aiming to reduce government involvement.
- By 2014, 493 of the 549 sites identified for divestiture in 1995 had been sold or transferred.
Current Oversight
- Transport Canada now oversees only 17 Canada Port Authorities for the 17 largest shipping ports.
Transportation in Canada
Canada is dedicated to having efficient, high-capacity multimodal transportation that can cover huge distances between urban, agricultural, and natural resource exploitation sectors. Canada’s transportation network consists of more than 1,400,000 kilometres of roads (870,000 miles), 300 commercial ports and harbours that provide access to the Great Lakes, the Atlantic, and the Pacific oceans, 10 major international airports, 300 smaller airports, and 72,093 kilometres (44,797 miles) of operational railway track.
In this article, we have covered, transportation in Canada, upcoming technology and the difficulties confronting Canada’s transportation system and much more!