WASHINGTON — Freight traffic on U.S. railroads was relatively flat during the week ended January 12 in comparison with the corresponding week last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported January 17 on its website.
Intermodal traffic registered a 0.4 percent increase over last year, with volume totaling 171,232 trailers and containers. Carload freight, which doesn’t include the intermodal data, totaled 332,733 cars, down 1.7 percent from last year, with volume up 0.1 percent in the West but down 4.0 percent in the East. Total volume was estimated at 29.0 billion ton-miles, the same as in the second week of last year.
Seven out of 19 commodity groups registered gains from last year, with loadings of motor vehicles and equipment up 14.0 percent; nonmetallic minerals up 13.1 percent and food and food products up 5.6 percent. On the downside, coke was down 22.8 percent, metallic ores were down 13.9 percent and metals were off 13.5 percent.
The AAR also reported the following cumulative totals for U.S. railroads during the first two weeks of 2002: 583,222 carloads, down 4.4 percent from last year; intermodal volume of 287,110 trailers and containers, down 4.9 percent; and total volume of an estimated 50.7 billion ton-miles, down 2.9 percent from last year’s first two 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.
Both intermodal and carload freight were down on Canadian railroads during the week ended January 12. Intermodal traffic totaled 34,411 trailers and containers, down 2.1 percent from last year. Carload volume was 62,149 cars, down 5.8 percent from the comparable week last year.
Cumulative originations for the first two weeks of 2002 on the Canadian railroads totaled 105,833 carloads, down 8.6 percent from last year, and 57,510 trailers and containers, down 6.1 percent from last year.
Combined cumulative volume for the first two weeks of 2002 on 16 reporting U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 689,055 carloads, down 5.1 percent from last year and 344,620 trailers and containers, down 5.1 percent from last year.
The AAR also reported that carload freight on the Mexican railroad Transportacion Ferroviaria Mexicana (TFM) during the week ended January 12 totaled 12,115 cars originated or received from connecting lines, up 18.1 percent from last year. TFM reported intermodal volume of 1,755 trailers or containers, down 52.2 percent from the second week of 2001. For the first two weeks of 2002, TFM reported cumulative volume of 22,108 cars, down 0.7 percent from last year, and 5,512 trailers or containers, up 9.0 percent.
AAR is the world’s leading railroad policy, research and technology organization focusing on the safety and productivity of rail carriers.