(The Association of American Railroads issued the following on December 13.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Both total freight volume and carload freight were up on U.S. railroads during the first week of December in comparison with the corresponding week last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today.
Total volume was estimated at 34.6 billion ton-miles, up 2.7 percent from the corresponding week last year. Carload freight totaled 328,432 cars, up 1.5 percent from last year, with loadings up 3.2 percent in the West but down 0.8 percent in the East.
A total of 239,742 trailers and containers were loaded during the week, down 0.7 percent the comparable week last year. Container volume was off 0.7 percent while trailer loadings slipped 0.9 percent from last year.
Nine of 19 Individual carload commodities were up from last year, with metallic ores up 13.0 percent, nonmetallic minerals up 10.5 percent, and chemicals up 9.0 percent. On the downside, coke was off 33.1; farm products (excluding grain) declined by 27.0 percent; and lumber and wood products fell 21.2 percent.
Cumulative volume for the first 49 weeks of 2007 totaled 16,046,281 carloads, off 2.4 percent from 2006; 11,399,016 trailers or containers, down 2.0 percent; and total volume of an estimated 1.66 trillion ton-miles, a 0.9 percent decline from last year.
On Canadian railroads, during the week ended December 8 carload traffic totaled 71,673 cars, up 1.1 percent from last year while intermodal volume totaled 44,654 trailers or containers, off 4.1 percent from last year.
Cumulative originations for the first 49 weeks of 2007 on the Canadian railroads totaled 3,839,083 carloads, up 0.4 percent from last year, and 2,308,982 trailers and containers, an increase of 3.4 percent from last year.
Combined cumulative volume for the first 49 weeks of 2007 on U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 19,885,364 carloads, down 1.8 percent from last year, and 13,707,998 trailers and containers, a 1.2 percent decrease from last year.
The AAR also reported that carload freight on the Mexican railroad Kansas City Southern de Mexico (KCSM) during the week ended December 8 totaled 11,703 cars, off 3.8 percent from last year. KCSM reported intermodal volume of 5,619 trailers or containers, up 18.0 percent from the 49th week of 2006.
For the first 49 weeks of 2007, KCSM reported cumulative volume of 536,598 cars, down 4.1 percent from last year, and 231,445 trailers or containers, up 14.8 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.