(The Association of American Railroads issued the following on December 23, 2009.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Total freight volume on U.S. railroads edged ahead of 2008 levels for the week ended December 19, the Association of American Railroads reported today. However, volume remained sharply below levels reported during the comparable 2007 week. 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.
Total volume was estimated at 30.4 billion ton-miles, up 0.3 percent from the comparable 2008 week, but down 11.6 percent from the comparable 2007 week.
Intermodal traffic totaled 209,759 trailers and containers, up 9.4 percent from a year ago but down 8.7 percent from 2007. Compared with the same week in 2008, container volume rose 18.6 percent and trailer volume dropped 20.1 percent. Compared with the same week in 2007, container volume slipped 1.4 percent and trailer volume dropped 32.4 percent.
Carload freight totaled 271,819 cars, down 0.1 percent from 2008 and 16.7 percent from 2007. In the Western U.S., carloads were up 3.5 percent compared with the same week last year, but down 13.1 percent compared with 2007. In the East, carloads were down 5.1 percent compared with 2008, and 21.6 percent compared with the same week in 2007.
Eleven of the 19 carload freight commodity groups were up compared with the same week last year, with double-digit increases seen in metallic ores (50.9 percent), motor vehicles and equipment (28.1 percent), grain (22.8 percent), grain mill products (21.4 percent), chemicals (13.9 percent), metals (13.1 percent) and nonmetallic minerals (12.7 percent). Declines in commodity groups ranged from .1 percent for petroleum products to 31.6 percent for the miscellaneous category of all other carloads.
For the first 50 weeks of 2009, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 13,389,380 carloads, down 16.5 percent from 2008 and 18.1 percent from 2007; 9,589,775 trailers or containers, down 14.6 percent from 2008 and 17.9 percent from 2007, and total volume of an estimated 1.44 trillion ton-miles, down 15.5 percent from 2008 and 16.3 percent from 2007.
Canadian railroads reported volume of 65,815 cars for the week, up 6.5 percent from last year, and 41,952 trailers or containers, up 2.3 percent from 2008. For the first 50 weeks of 2009, Canadian railroads reported cumulative volume of 3,136,755 carloads, down 18.7 percent from last year, and 2,053,398 trailers or containers, down 14.8 percent from last year.
Mexican railroads reported originated volume of 15,061 cars, up 24.8 percent from the same week last year, and 6,785 trailers or containers, up 34.9 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 50 weeks of 2009 was reported as 583,365 carloads, down 10.1 percent from last year; and 278,749 trailers or containers, down 13.6 percent.
Combined North American rail volume for the first 50 weeks of 2009 on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 17,109,500 carloads, down 16.7 percent from last year, and 11,921,922 trailers and containers, down 14.6 percent from last year.