(The Association of American Railroads issued the following on April 17.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Intermodal volume was up while carload freight was down during the week ended April 12 in comparison with the corresponding week last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported.
Carload freight in the week ended April 12 totaled 329,508 cars, down 2.9 percent from last year. Volume was down 0.4 percent in the West 6.1 percent in the East.
Intermodal volume, which is not included in the carload data, totaled 227,366 trailers or containers, up 1.9 percent from a year ago. Trailer volume was up 3.6 percent, while container volume gained 1.5 percent.
Total volume was estimated at 34.2 billion ton-miles, down 1.4 percent from the 15th week of 2007.
Among the five carload commodity groups registering gains from last year were grain, up 15.1 percent; metals, up 4.2 percent; and food and food products, up 2.8 percent. Fourteen carload commodity groups declined from last year, with lumber and wood products off 18.9 percent, metallic ores down 18.8 percent and motor vehicles off 15.3 percent.
Cumulative volume for the first 15 weeks of 2008 totaled 4,832,845 carloads, up 1.0 percent from 2007; 3,263,070 trailers or containers, down 3.5 percent; and total volume of an estimated 500.0 billion ton-miles, up 2.2 percent from last year.
On Canadian railroads, during the week ended April 12 carload traffic totaled 74,843 cars, down 9.1 percent from last year while intermodal volume totaled 49,842 trailers or containers, up 5.8 percent from last year.
Cumulative originations for the first 15 weeks of 2008 on the Canadian railroads totaled 1,105,182 carloads, down 2.8 percent from last year, and 691,845 trailers and containers, an increase of 4.7 percent from last year.
Combined cumulative volume for the first 15 weeks of 2008 on U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 5,938,027 carloads, up 0.3 percent from last year, and 3,954,915 trailers and containers, a 2.1 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 April 12 totaled 10,296 cars, down 5.0 percent from last year. KCSM reported intermodal volume of 5,511 trailers or containers, up 37.5 percent from the 15th week of 2007.
For the first 15 weeks of 2008, KCSM reported cumulative volume of 154,749 cars, down 3.7 percent from last year, and 70,499 trailers or containers, up 14.4 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.