(The Association of American Railroads issued the following news release on June 30.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Freight traffic on U.S. railroads was up during the week ended June 25 in comparison with the corresponding week last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today.
Carload freight totaled 335,731 cars, up 0.6 percent from last year. Carload traffic was up 3.2 percent in the East but down 1.6 percent in the West.
Intermodal volume, which is not included in the carload data, totaled 227,134 trailers or containers, up 4.4 percent from last year, with containers up 7.1 percent and trailers down 3.1 percent. This is the highest weekly total for intermodal so far this year.
Total volume was estimated at 32.1 billion ton-miles, up 1.6 percent from last year.
Ten of 19 carload commodities were up from last year. Commodities registering double digit gains from last year included grain mill products, up 14.2 percent; farm products other than grain, up 12.4 percent; and nonmetallic minerals, up 10.0 percent. On the downside, waste and scrap materials were off 8.5 percent; coke was down 8.4 percent; and motor vehicles and equipment declined 8.3 percent.
Cumulative volume for the first 25 weeks of 2005 totaled 8,351,724 carloads, up 1.7 percent from 2004; 5,432,780 trailers or containers, up 6.2 percent; and total volume of an estimated 793.4 billion ton-miles, up 2.5 percent from last year.
On Canadian railroads, during the week ended June 25 carload traffic totaled 75,002 cars, down 2.8 percent from last year while intermodal volume totaled 41,669 trailers or containers, up 0.8 percent from last year.
Cumulative originations for the first 25 weeks of 2005 on the Canadian railroads totaled 1,915,252 carloads, down 0.1 percent from last year, and 1,055,447 trailers and containers, up 2.4 percent from last year.
Combined cumulative volume for the first 25 weeks of 2005 on U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 10,266,976 carloads, up 1.4 percent from last year and 6,488,227 trailers and containers, up 5.5 percent from last year.
The AAR also reported that originated carload freight on the Mexican railroad Transportacion Ferroviaria Mexicana (TFM) during the week ended June 25 totaled 8,018 cars, down 13.3 percent from last year. TFM reported intermodal volume of 4,091 originated trailers or containers, up 2.9 percent from the 25th week of 2004. For the first 25 weeks of 2005, TFM reported cumulative originated volume of 215,687 cars, up 0.7 percent from last year, and 96,940 trailers or containers, up 7.8 percent.
Railroads reporting to AAR account for 87 percent of U.S. carload freight and 96 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.