(The Association of American Railroads issued the following on March 29.)
WASHINGTON — Both intermodal and carload freight were down on U.S. railroads during the week ended March 24 in comparison with the corresponding week last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today.
Intermodal volume totaled 222,484 trailers or containers, down 4.7 percent from last year, with container volume off 2.9 percent and trailer volume down 10.4 percent.
Carload freight, which doesn’t include the intermodal data, totaled 334,633 cars for the week. Although this was down 2.7 percent from last year, the total was the highest reached so far this year. Loadings were up 0.6 percent in the West but down 6.6 percent in the East. Total volume was estimated at 34.1 billion ton-miles, down 1.2 percent from last year.
Among the five carload commodity groups registering gains from last year were petroleum products, up 15.0 percent, and nonmetallic minerals, up 13.8 percent. Fourteen commodity groups were down from last year, with metallic ores down 45.4 percent; lumber and wood products off 22.4 percent; and coke down 20.2 percent.
Cumulative volume for the first 12 weeks of 2007 totaled 3,810,447 carloads, down 4.5 percent from 2006; 2,710,100 trailers or containers, up 0.4 percent; and total volume of an estimated 387.3 billion ton-miles, down 3.2 percent from last year.
On Canadian railroads, during the week ended March 24 carload traffic totaled 81,395 cars, up 7.2 percent from last year while intermodal volume totaled 49,491 trailers or containers, up 10.9 percent from last year.
Cumulative originations for the first 12 weeks of 2007 on the Canadian railroads totaled 899,628 carloads, down 2.8 percent from last year, and 519,746 trailers and containers, up 0.8 percent from last year.
Combined cumulative volume for the first 12 weeks of 2007 on U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 4,710,075 carloads, down 4.2 percent from last year, and 3,229,846 trailers and containers, up 0.5 percent from last year.
The AAR also reported that carload freight on the Mexican railroad Kansas City Southern de Mexico (KCSM) during the week ended March 24 totaled 12,107 cars, up 6.2 percent from last year. KCSM reported intermodal volume of 4,061 trailers or containers, up 13.0 percent from the 12th week of 2006.
For the first 12 weeks of 2007, KCSM reported cumulative volume of 126,139 cars, down 7.0 percent from last year, and 49,148 trailers or containers, up 8.1 percent.
Railroads reporting to AAR account for 89 percent of U.S. carload freight and 98 percent of rail intermodal volume. When the U.S. operations of Canadian railroads are included, the figures increase to 96 percent and 100 percent. The Canadian railroads reporting to the AAR account for 91 percent of Canadian rail traffic. Railroads provide more than 40 percent of U.S. intercity freight transportation, more than any other mode, and rail traffic figures are regarded as an important economic indicator.