WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. railroads originated more containers during the week ended June 22 than in any previous week on record, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported on its website yesterday.
Railroads loaded a total of 142,455 containers during the week, breaking the record of 141,144 that had been set during the week ended June 8. In all, intermodal volume totaled 191,016 trailers and containers, up 9.5 percent from the comparable week last year. Trailer volume was off 3.8 percent from last year while container volume was up 14.8 percent.
Carload freight, which does not include intermodal data, totaled 337,922 cars, up 0.2 percent from the corresponding week last year, with loadings up 3.3 percent in the West but down 3.4 percent in the East. Total volume was estimated at 28.3 billion ton-miles, the same as in last year’s 25th week.
Sharp gains were reported in loading of metallic ores, up 35.5 percent from the comparable 2001 week; farm products other than grain, up 22.2 percent; non-metallic minerals, up 7.5 percent; and lumber and wood products, up 7.2 percent. Ten out of 19 commodity groups registered declines from last year, with primary forest products off 9.2 percent, coke down 5.2 percent, and coal off 4.1
percent.
The AAR also reported the following cumulative totals for U.S. railroads during the first 25 weeks of 2002: 8,122,342 carloads, down 2.5 percent from last year; intermodal volume of 4,364,864 trailers and containers, up 4.0 percent; and total volume of an estimated 696.6 billion ton?miles, down 1.5 percent from last year’s first 25 weeks.
Railroads reporting to AAR account for 90 percent of U.S. carload freight and 97 percent of rail intermodal volume. When the U.S. operations of Canadian railroads are included, the figures increase to 96 percent and 99 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.
Intermodal traffic was up but carload volume was down on Canadian railroads during the week ended June 22. Intermodal traffic totaled 39,084 trailers and containers, up 8.6 percent from last year. Carload volume was 59,909 cars, down 0.9 percent from the comparable week last year.
Cumulative originations for the first 25 weeks of 2002 on the Canadian railroads totaled 1,518,061 carloads, down 2.9 percent from last year, and 924,024 trailers and containers, up 6.7 percent from last year.
Combined cumulative volume for the first 25 weeks of 2002 on 16 reporting U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 9,640,403 carloads, down 2.6 percent from last year and 5,288,888 trailers and containers, up 4.4 percent from last year.
The AAR also reported that carload freight on the Mexican railroad Transportacion Ferroviaria Mexicana (TFM) during the week ended June 22 totaled 10,978 cars originated or received from connecting lines, up 8.4 percent from last year. TFM reported intermodal volume of 4,160 trailers or containers, up 8.6 percent from the 25th week of 2001. For the first 25 weeks of 2002, TFM reported cumulative volume of 259,624 cars, down 2.6 percent from last year, and 90,069 trailers or containers, up 5.2 percent.