(The Association of American Railroads issued the following news release on August 21.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Carload freight was down but intermodal volume was up slightly on U.S. railroads during the week ended August 16 in comparison with the corresponding week last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today.
Carload volume totaled 334,733 units, down 3.1 percent from last year, with loadings down 4.0 percent in the East and 2.3 percent in the West. Intermodal volume, which is not included in the carload data, totaled 195,398 trailers or containers, up 0.8 percent from the comparable week last year. Total volume was estimated at 29.5 billion ton-miles, down 1.3 percent from last year. Volume may have been affected by the blackout which hit parts of the Eastern U.S. last week.
Nine out of 19 carload commodity groups reported gains in volume compared to last year, coke rising 29.2 percent, grain up 5.2 percent and pulp, paper and allied products increasing 4.8 percent. Among commodities showing declines were metallic ores, down 20.7 percent from last year; motor vehicles and equipment, off 18.2 percent; and metals and products, down 9.4 percent.
The AAR also reported the following cumulative totals for U.S. railroads during the first 33 weeks of 2003: 10,610,620 carloads, down 0.3 percent from last year; intermodal volume of 6,162,072 trailers or containers, up 5.7 percent; and total volume of an estimated 935.3 billion ton-miles, up 0.5 percent from last year’s first 33 weeks.
Railroads reporting to AAR account for 88 percent of U.S. carload freight and 95 percent of rail intermodal volume. When the U.S. operations of Canadian railroads are included, the figures increase to 95 percent and 100 percent. Railroads provide more than 40 percent of the nation’s intercity freight transportation, more than any other mode, and rail traffic figures are regarded as an important economic indicator.
Both intermodal and carload volume were down during the week ended August 16 on Canadian railroads, which were also affected by the blackout. Intermodal traffic totaled 39,971 trailers and containers, down 8.6 percent from last year. Carload volume of 58,038 cars, was off 714 percent from the comparable week last year.
Cumulative originations for the first 33 weeks of 2003 on the Canadian railroads totaled 2,008,995 carloads, down 1.4 percent from last year, and 1,361,575 trailers and containers, up 8.7 percent from last year.
Combined cumulative volume for the first 33 weeks of 2003 on 15 reporting U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 12,619,615 carloads, down 0.5 percent from last year and 7,523,647 trailers and containers, up 6.2 percent from last year.
The AAR also reported that originated carload freight on the Mexican railroad Transportacion Ferroviaria Mexicana (TFM) during the week ended August 16 totaled 7,728 cars, down 3.2 percent from last year. TFM reported intermodal volume of 3,426 originated trailers or containers, down 4.2 percent from the 33rd week of 2002. For the first 33 weeks of 2003, TFM reported cumulative originated volume of 280,501 cars, up 1.4 percent from last year, and 115,876 trailers or containers, up 24.8 percent.