(Source: Association of American Railroads press release, July 8, 2015)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending July 4, 2015.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 506,284 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.7 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending July 4, 2015 were 251,269 carloads, down 7.1 percent compared with the same week in 2014, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 255,015 containers and trailers, up 12.3 percent compared to 2014.
Six of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2014. They included: miscellaneous carloads, up 6.2 percent to 8,287 carloads; nonmetallic minerals, up 5.4 percent to 33,876 carloads; and farm products, up 3.7 percent to 15,219 carloads. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2014 included: coal, down 18.5 percent to 82,924 carloads; metallic ores and metals, down 10.6 percent to 23,893 carloads; and petroleum and petroleum products, down 8.5 percent to 13,684 carloads.
For the first 26 weeks of 2015, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 7,181,837 carloads, down 3.9 percent from the same point last year; and 6,860,044 intermodal units, up 2.7 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 26 weeks of 2015 was 14,041,881 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 0.8 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending July 4, 2015 on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 339,947 carloads, down 6.6 percent compared with the same week last year, and 325,156 intermodal units, up 10 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 665,103 carloads and intermodal units, up 0.8 percent. North American rail volume for the first 26 weeks of 2015 was 18,332,492 carloads and intermodal units, down 0.1 percent compared with 2014.
Canadian railroads reported 73,489 carloads for the week, down 5.1 percent, and 59,804 intermodal units, up 4.3 percent compared with the same week in 2014. For the first 26 weeks of 2015, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 3,592,844 carloads, containers and trailers, up 2.3 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 15,189 carloads for the week, down 5.2 percent compared with the same week last year, and 10,337 intermodal units, down 8.2 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 26 weeks of 2015 was 697,767 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 2.5 percent from the same point last year.