(Source: Association of American Railroads press release, December 20, 2012)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported mixed weekly rail traffic for the week ending December 15, 2012, with U.S. railroads originating 292,640 carloads, down 3.9 percent compared with the same week last year. Intermodal volume for the week totaled 251,985 trailers and containers, up 8 percent compared with the same week last year.
Twelve of the 20 carload commodity groups posted increases compared with the same week in 2011, with petroleum products, up 50.1 percent; lumber and wood products, up 22.9, and motor vehicles and equipment, up 13.6 percent. The groups showing a decrease in weekly traffic included nonmetallic minerals, down 20.4 percent; coal, down 13.2 percent, and grain, down 11.3 percent.
Weekly carload volume on Eastern railroads was down 3.9 percent compared with the same week last year. In the West, weekly carload volume was down 4 percent compared with the same week in 2011.
For the first 50 weeks of 2012, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 14,180,675 carloads, down 3 percent from the same point last year, and 11,871,417 trailers and containers, up 3.3 percent from last year.
Canadian railroads reported 79,546 carloads for the week, up 3 percent compared with the same week last year, and 52,872 trailers and containers, up 7.7 percent compared with 2011. For the first 50 weeks of 2012, Canadian railroads reported cumulative volume of 3,869,385 carloads, up 2.2 percent from the same point last year, and 2,589,028 trailers and containers, up 6.7 percent from last year.
Mexican railroads reported 15,081 carloads for the week, up 10.7 percent compared with the same week last year, and 8,894 trailers and containers, up 4.5 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 50 weeks of 2012 is 723,637 carloads, up 1.1 percent compared with the same point last year, and 503,672 trailers and containers, up 19.3 percent from last year.
Combined North American rail volume for the first 50 weeks of 2012 on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 18,773,697 carloads, down 1.8 percent compared with the same point last year, and 14,964,117 trailers and containers, up 4.3 percent compared with last year.