(Source: Association of American Railroads press release, January 19, 2012)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported an increase in weekly rail traffic for the week ending January 14, 2012, with U.S. railroads originating 298,560 carloads, up 5.5 percent compared with the same week last year. Intermodal volume for the week totaled 229,091 trailers and containers, up 7.4 percent compared with the same week last year.
Seventeen of the 20 carload commodity groups posted increases compared with the same week in 2011, with crushed stone, sand and gravel, up 33.2 percent; motor vehicles and equipment, up 31.5 percent, and petroleum products, up 28.9 percent. The groups showing a significant decrease in weekly traffic included grain, down 10.1 percent.
Weekly carload volume on Eastern railroads was up 5.3 percent compared with the same week last year. In the West, weekly carload volume was up 5.6 percent compared with the same week in 2011.
For the first two weeks of 2012, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 573,412 carloads, up 0.9 percent from last year, and 422,903 trailers and containers, down 1 percent from last year.