(The Association of American Railroads issued the following on December 10, 2009.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Association of American Railroads today reported that freight rail traffic showed improvement in the post Thanksgiving holiday week ending Dec. 5, 2009. U.S. railroads reported originating 284,177 carloads, down 5.4 percent compared with the same week in 2008 and down 13.3 percent from the same week in 2007. In order to offer a complete picture of the progress in rail traffic, AAR will now be reporting 2009 weekly rail traffic with year over year comparisons for both 2008 and 2007.
In the Western U.S., carloads were down 6.2 percent compared with the same week last year, and 10.7 percent compared with 2007. In the East, carloads were down 4.1 percent compared with 2008, and 17.1 percent compared with the same week in 2007.
Intermodal traffic totaled 207,242 trailers and containers, down 4.2 percent from a year ago and 13.6 percent from 2007. Compared with the same week in 2008, container volume rose 2 percent and trailer volume dropped 25.8 percent. Compared with the same week in 2007, container volume fell 5.7 percent and trailer volume dropped 38 percent.
While 10 of the 19 carload freight commodity groups were down compared with the same week last year, increases were seen in nonmetallic minerals (25 percent), metals and products (17.1 percent), grain (14.1 percent), chemicals (13.9 percent), farm products not including grain (13.7 percent), motor vehicles and equipment (8.9 percent), grain mill products (8 percent), metallic ores (1.3 percent) and waste and scrap metal (.7 percent). Declines in commodity groups ranged from .6 percent for food and kindred products to 21 percent for crushed stone, sand and gravel.
Total volume on U.S. railroads for the week ending Dec. 5, 2009 was estimated at 31.8 billion ton-miles, down 4.8 percent compared with the same week last year and down 7.6 percent from 2007.
For the first 48 weeks of 2009, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 12,855,873 carloads, down 16.9 percent from 2008 and 18.1 percent from 2007; 9,175,066 trailers or containers, down 15.3 percent from 2008 and 18.2 percent from 2007, and total volume of an estimated 1.38 trillion ton-miles, down 15.9 percent from 2008 and 16.5 percent from 2007.
Canadian railroads reported volume of 62,576 cars for the week, down 12.4 percent from last year, and 39,608 trailers or containers, down 13.5 percent from 2008. For the first 48 weeks of 2009, Canadian railroads reported cumulative volume of 3,004,046 carloads, down 19.5 percent from last year, and 1,973,005 trailers or containers, down 15.2 percent from last year.
Mexican railroads reported originated volume of 12,393 cars, down 4.8 percent from the same week last year, and 6,241 trailers or containers, up .8 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 48 weeks of 2009 was reported as 555,721 carloads, down 11 percent from last year; and 265,196 trailers or containers, down 14.9 percent.
Combined North American rail volume for the first 48 weeks of 2009 on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 16,415,640 carloads, down 17.2 percent from last year, and 11,413,267 trailers and containers, down 15.2 percent from last year.