(The Association of American Railroads issued the following on October 16.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Freight traffic on U.S. railroads was off slightly during the week ended October 11 in comparison with the same week last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today.
Total volume was estimated at 35.2 billion ton-miles, down 0.6 percent from the comparable week last year.
Carload freight in the week totaled 331,402 cars, off 1.4 percent from last year. Volume was up 0.7 percent in the East but down 2.9 percent in the West.
Intermodal volume, which is not included in the carload data, totaled 234,732 trailers or containers, down 3.3 percent from a year ago. Trailer volume was off 5.5 percent while container traffic declined 2.7 percent.
Among carload commodity groups showing gains from last year, coal was up 6.2 percent while metallic ores climbed 32.4 percent. On the negative side, lumber and wood products fell by 22.5 percent, nonmetallic minerals dropped by 23.5 percent and grain was off 15.9 percent.
Cumulative volume for the first 41 weeks of 2008 totaled 13,344,744 carloads, down 0.3 percent from 2007; 9,226,191 trailers or containers, down 3.0 percent; and total volume of an estimated 1.39 trillion ton-miles, up 0.8 percent from last year.
On Canadian railroads, during the week ended October 11 carload traffic totaled 75,363 cars, down 2.1 percent from last year, while intermodal volume totaled 50,205 trailers or containers, up 11.6 percent from 2007.
Cumulative originations for the first 41 weeks of 2008 on the Canadian railroads totaled 3,045,315 carloads, down 4.3 percent from last year, and 1,984,408 trailers and containers, an increase of 4.2 percent from last year.
Combined cumulative volume for the first 41 weeks of 2008 on U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 16,390,059 carloads, down 1.1 percent from last year, and 11,210,599 trailers and containers, a 1.8 percent decrease from last year.
Also for the week ended October 11, the Mexican railroad Ferrocarril Mexicano (Ferromex) reported total volume of 13,818 carloads, up 23.0 percent from last year, and intermodal volume of 4,139 trailers or containers, up 48.0 percent. For the first 41 weeks of 2008, Ferromex reported cumulative volume of 504,591 carloads, up 1.5 percent from last year, and 119,162 trailers or containers, down 0.1 percent.
The other Mexican railroad reporting to AAR, Kansas City Southern de Mexico (KCSM) reported carload volume of 10,591 cars during the week ended October 11, down 4.1 percent, and intermodal volume of 5,935 trailers or containers, up 4.8 percent from last year. For the first 41 weeks of 2008, KCSM reported total volume of 421,405 cars, down 5.6 percent from last year, and 203,721 trailers or containers, up 8.1 percent from 2007.
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.