(The Association of American Railroads issued the following on May 31.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Freight traffic on U.S. railroads during the week ended May 26 trailed the comparable week last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today.
Intermodal volume totaled 235,682 trailers or containers, down 1.0 percent from last year, with container volume up 1.9 percent and trailer volume down 10.7 percent.
Carload freight, which doesn’t include the intermodal data, totaled 335,282 cars for the week, down 4.7 percent from last year. Loadings were down 5.3 percent in the West and 4.0 percent in the East. Total volume was estimated at 34.3 billion ton-miles, down 2.8 percent from last year.
Cumulative volume for the first 21 weeks of 2007 totaled 6,767,487 carloads, down 4.5 percent from 2006; 4,785,303 trailers or containers, off 1.2 percent; and total volume of an estimated 688.7 billion ton-miles, down 3.1 percent from last year.
On Canadian railroads, during the week ended May 26 carload traffic totaled 78,021 cars, up 0.3 percent from last year while intermodal volume totaled 42,572 trailers or containers, virtually the same as last year.
Cumulative originations for the first 21 weeks of 2007 on the Canadian railroads totaled 1,628,294 carloads, down 1.5 percent from last year, and 943,045 trailers and containers, up 1.6 percent from last year.
Combined cumulative volume for the first 21 weeks of 2007 on U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 8,395,781 carloads, down 3.9 percent from last year, and 5,728,348 trailers and containers, down 0.8 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 May 26 totaled 11,244 cars, down 6.6 percent from last year. KCSM reported intermodal volume of 5,023 trailers or containers, up 15.6 percent from the 21st week of 2006.
For the first 21 weeks of 2007, KCSM reported cumulative volume of 227,209 cars, down 5.0 percent from last year, and 89,160 trailers or containers, up 11.1 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.