(Source: Association of American Railroads press release, August 12, 2015)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Aug. 8, 2015.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 562,884 carloads and intermodal units, down 0.9 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending Aug. 8, 2015 were 288,460 carloads, down 4.4 percent compared with the same week in 2014, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 274,424 containers and trailers, up 3.1 percent compared to 2014.
Five of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2014. They included: miscellaneous carloads, up 14.2 percent to 9,117 carloads; farm products, up 8.4 percent to 16,854 carloads; and grain, up 1.5 percent to 21,587 carloads. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2014 included: petroleum and petroleum products, down 17.7 percent to 13,826 carloads; metallic ores and metals, down 10 percent to 23,387 carloads; and coal, down 7.1 percent to 105,965 carloads.
For the first 31 weeks of 2015, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 8,595,439 carloads, down 4.2 percent from the same point last year; and 8,211,341 intermodal units, up 2.5 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 31 weeks of 2015 was 16,806,780 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 1 percent compared with this point last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending Aug. 8, 2015 on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 377,908 carloads, down 5.5 percent compared with the same week last year, and 346,905 intermodal units, up 3.3 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America, was 724,813 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.5 percent. North American rail volume for the first 31 weeks of 2015 was 21,925,606 carloads and intermodal units, down 0.5 percent compared with 2014.
Canadian railroads reported 72,599 carloads for the week, down 11.7 percent, and 60,616 intermodal units, up 3.7 percent compared with the same week in 2014. For the first 31 weeks of 2015, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 4,281,333 carloads, containers and trailers, up 1.4 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 16,849 carloads for the week, up 5.4 percent compared with the same week last year, and 11,865 intermodal units, up 4.9 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 31 weeks of 2015 was 837,493 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 2.3 percent from the same point last year.
Crude Oil Carload Update
The AAR also reported U.S. Class I railroads originated 111,068 carloads of crude oil in the second quarter of 2015, down 2,021 carloads or 1.8 percent from the first quarter of 2015 and down 21,189 carloads or 16 percent from the third quarter of 2014, which is the peak quarter for rail crude oil originations.