(The Association of American Railroads issued the following on June 28.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Total freight traffic on U.S. railroads was even with the comparable week last year during the week ended June 23, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today.
Total volume was estimated at 34.3 billion ton-miles, the same as in the corresponding week last year.
Intermodal volume totaled 242,104 trailers or containers, down 1.2 percent from last year, with container volume up 2.2 percent and trailer volume down 12.3 percent.
Carload freight, which doesn’t include the intermodal data, totaled 337,774 cars for the week, down 0.8 percent from last year. Loadings were up 0.1 percent in the East but down 1.4 percent in the West.
Seven of 19 carload commodity groups registered gains from last year, with metallic ores up 35.7 percent, petroleum products up 11.9 percent and nonmetallic minerals up 8.8 percent. Loadings of lumber and wood products were off 15.9 percent while crushed stone, sand and gravel were down 12.7 percent.
Cumulative volume for the first 25 weeks of 2007 totaled 8,095,552 carloads, down 4.1 percent from 2006; 5,711,893 trailers or containers, off 1.3 percent; and total volume of an estimated 823.7 billion ton-miles, down 2.9 percent from last year.
On Canadian railroads, during the week ended June 23 carload traffic totaled 82,571 cars, up 1.9 percent from last year while intermodal volume totaled 49,151 trailers or containers, up 7.6 percent from last year.
Cumulative originations for the first 25 weeks of 2007 on the Canadian railroads totaled 1,952,030 carloads, down 0.7 percent from last year, and 1,131,807 trailers and containers, up 1.6 percent from last year.
Combined cumulative volume for the first 25 weeks of 2007 on U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 10,047,582 carloads, down 3.5 percent from last year, and 6,843,700 trailers and containers, down 0.9 percent from last year.
The AAR also reported that carload freight on the Mexican railroad Kansas City Southern de Mexico (KCSM) during the week ended June 23 totaled 11,057 cars, down 0.9 percent from last year. KCSM reported intermodal volume of 4,619 trailers or containers, up 8.1 percent from the 25th week of 2006.
For the first 25 weeks of 2007, KCSM reported cumulative volume of 271,285 cars, down 4.9 percent from last year, and 108,182 trailers or containers, up 10.7 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.