(The Association of American Railroads issued the following on January 24.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Freight traffic on U.S. railroads during the week ended January 19 was up for the second consecutive week in comparison with the corresponding week last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today.
Carload freight totaled 325,415 cars, up 5.6 percent from last year. Volume was up 10.0 percent in the West and 0.1 percent in the East.
Intermodal volume, which is not included in the carload data, totaled 230,771, up 3.0 percent from a year ago. Container volume rose 4.1 percent while trailer volume was off 0.9 percent.
Total volume was estimated at 33.6 billion ton-miles, an increase of 6.7 percent from the third week of 2007. Freight volume in the comparison week from last year was affected by severe winter storms.
Thirteen of 19 individual carload commodities showed gains from last year, with farm products other than grain up 91.7 percent. Also registering double digit increases were loadings of motor vehicles and equipment, 26.5 percent; grain, 15.3 percent; waste and scrap materials, 14.2 percent; and crushed stone, gravel and sand, 10.8 percent. On the downside, coke was off 25.6 percent, lumber and wood products fell 14.7 percent and primary forest products declined 8.5 percent.
Cumulative volume for the first three weeks of 2008 totaled 933,292 carloads, up 2.0 percent from 2007; 632,850 trailers or containers, down 2.7 percent; and total volume of an estimated 96.1 billion ton-miles, up 2.9 percent from last year.
On Canadian railroads, during the week ended January 19 carload traffic totaled 76,007 cars, up 1.3 percent from last year while intermodal volume totaled 50,330 trailers or containers, up 13.0 percent from last year.
Cumulative originations for the first three weeks of 2008 on the Canadian railroads totaled 217,120 carloads, up 1.3 percent from last year, and 134,828 trailers and containers, an increase of 12.3 percent from last year.
Combined cumulative volume for the first three weeks of 2008 on U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 1,150,412 carloads, up 1.9 percent from last year, and 767,674 trailers and containers, a 0.3 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 January 19 totaled 9,853 cars, up 7.4 percent from last year. KCSM reported intermodal volume of 4,780 trailers or containers, up 10.5 percent from the third week of 2007.
For the first three weeks of 2008, KCSM reported cumulative volume of 27,475 cars, up 0.3 percent from last year, and 11,673 trailers or containers, up 10.5 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.