(The Association of American Railroads issued the following on March 20.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Intermodal freight was up but carload volume was off slightly from last year on U.S. railroads during the week ended March 15, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today.
Carload freight totaled 328,690 cars, down 0.2 percent from last year. Volume was up 4.2 percent in the West but down 5.8 percent in the East.
Intermodal volume, which is not included in the carload data, totaled 216,412 trailers or containers, up 1.4 percent from a year ago. Container volume rose 2.4 percent while trailer volume was off 1.9 percent.
Total volume was estimated at 34.0 billion ton-miles, up 0.9 percent from the 11th week of 2007.
Nine of 19 carload commodities registered gains from a year ago with metallic ores jumping 97.5 percent, grain rising 15.9 percent and farm products other than grain up 17.7 percent. On the negative side, lumber and wood products dropped 21.7 percent, stone, clay and glass products fell 16.6 percent and nonmetallic minerals were off 9.1 4.0 percent.
Cumulative volume for the first 11 weeks of 2008 totaled 3,516,497 carloads, up 1.2 percent from 2007; 2,385,454 trailers or containers, down 4.1 percent; and total volume of an estimated 363.6 billion ton-miles, up 2.3 percent from last year.
On Canadian railroads, during the week ended March 15 carload traffic totaled 72,809 cars, down 7.2 percent from last year while intermodal volume totaled 44,096 trailers or containers, up 0.3 percent from last year.
Cumulative originations for the first 11 weeks of 2008 on the Canadian railroads totaled 799,690 carloads, down 1.7 percent from last year, and 498,409 trailers and containers, an increase of 6.1 percent from last year.
Combined cumulative volume for the first 11 weeks of 2008 on U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 4,316,187 carloads, up0.6 percent from last year, and 2,883,863 trailers and containers, a 2.5 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 March 15 totaled 10,481 cars, off 7.4 percent from last year. KCSM reported intermodal volume of 4,592 trailers or containers, up 4.8 percent from the 11th week of 2007.
For the first 11 weeks of 2008, KCSM reported cumulative volume of 114,470 cars, down 1.6 percent from last year, and 51,992 trailers or containers, up 13.1 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.