(The following report appeared on the Association of American Railroads website on August 30.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Freight traffic on U.S. railroads was flat during the week ended August 25 in comparison with the corresponding week last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today. Freight traffic during the week was affected by flooding in part of the Midwest.
Total volume was estimated at 35.3 billion ton-miles, the same as was reported for the comparable week last year.
Intermodal volume totaled 237,928 trailers or containers, down 6.3 percent from last year, with container volume off 4.5 from last year and trailer volume down 12.7 percent.
Carload freight, which doesn’t include the intermodal data, totaled 336,746 cars for the week, down 1.4 percent from last year. Compared with last year, loadings were up 1.5 percent in the West but down 5.0 percent in the East.
Eight of 19 carload commodity groups were up compared with last year, with coke up 15.4 percent; grain registering a 7.6 percent gain; and petroleum products rising 4.0 percent. Among commodities reporting declines metallic ores, down 17.0 percent; pulp, paper and allied products, off 13.9 percent; and lumber and wood products, down 13.6 percent.
Cumulative volume for the first 34 weeks of 2007 totaled 11,024,672 carloads, down 3.6 percent from 2006; 7,817,311 trailers or containers, off 1.8 percent; and total volume of an estimated 1.13 trillion ton-miles, down 2.3 percent from last year.
On Canadian railroads, during the week ended August 25 carload traffic totaled 76,626 cars, down 4.6 percent from last year while intermodal volume totaled 49,737 trailers or containers, up 4.2 percent from last year.
Cumulative originations for the first 34 weeks of 2007 on the Canadian railroads totaled 2,640,600 carloads, down 0.8 percent from last year, and 1,563,396 trailers and containers, up 2.6 percent from last year.
Combined cumulative volume for the first 34 weeks of 2007 on U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 13,665,272 carloads, down 3.1 percent from last year, and 9,380,707 trailers and containers, down 1.1 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 August 25 totaled 11,100 cars, down 3.6 percent from last year. KCSM reported intermodal volume of 5,070 trailers or containers, up19.5 percent from the 34th week of 2006.
For the first 34 weeks of 2007, KCSM reported cumulative volume of 367,740 cars, down 4.0 percent from last year, and 151,459 trailers or containers, up 14.0 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.