(The Association of American Railroads issued the following on August 4.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Both carload and intermodal volume on U.S. railroads were off during the week ended July 26 in comparison with the same week last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today.
Carload freight totaled 333,187 cars for the week, down 0.9 percent from last year. Volume was up 1.7 percent in the West but down 4.3 percent in the East.
Intermodal volume, which is not included in the carload data, totaled 235,397 trailers or containers, down 3.2 percent from a year ago. Trailer volume was up 1.3 percent while container traffic dropped 4.4 percent.
Total volume was estimated at 34.8 billion ton-miles, virtually the same as last year.
Six of 19 carload commodities registered gains from a year ago with metallic ores jumping 23.8 percent, grain climbing 5.0 percent, and coal increasing 3.3 percent. Among commodities reporting declines were motor vehicles and equipment, 33.6 percent, lumber and wood products, 19.6 percent, and primary forest products, 14.1 percent.
Cumulative volume for the first 30 weeks of 2008 totaled 9,720,848 carloads, up 0.4 percent from 2007; 6,655,987 trailers or containers, down 3.1 percent; and total volume of an estimated 1.006 trillion ton-miles, up 1.6 percent from last year.
On Canadian railroads, during the week ended July 26 carload traffic totaled 71,444 cars, down 9.8 percent from last year while intermodal volume totaled 50,570 trailers or containers, up 4.9 percent from last year.
Cumulative originations for the first 30 weeks of 2008 on the Canadian railroads totaled 2,223,501 carloads, down 4.2 percent from last year, and 1,424,527 trailers and containers, an increase of 4.2 percent from last year.
Combined cumulative volume for the first 30 weeks of 2008 on U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 11,944,349 carloads, down 0.5 percent from last year, and 8,080,514 trailers and containers, a 1.9 percent decrease from last year.
The AAR also reported that carload freight on the Mexican railroad Kansas City Southern de Mexico (KCSM) during the week ended July 26 totaled 9,635 cars, down 3.3 percent from last year. KCSM reported intermodal volume of 5,219 trailers or containers, up 1.0 percent from the 30th week of 2007.
For the first 30 weeks of 2008, KCSM reported cumulative volume of 313,898 cars, down 3.3 percent from last year, and 142,070 trailers or containers, up 9.1 percent.
Railroads reporting to AAR account for 89 percent of U.S. carload freight and 98 percent of rail intermodal volume. When the U.S. operations of Canadian railroads are included, the figures increase to 96 percent and 100 percent. The Canadian railroads reporting to the AAR account for 91 percent of Canadian rail traffic. Railroads provide more than 40 percent of U.S. intercity freight transportation, more than any other mode, and rail traffic figures are regarded as an important economic indicator.