(The Association of American Railroads issued the following on July 31.)
WASHINGTON — It was another up week for freight traffic on U.S. railroads during the week ended July 22, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today.
Carload freight totaled 329,536 cars, up 2.3 percent from last year, with loadings up 2.0 percent in the West and 2.6 percent in the East.
Intermodal volume of 247,226 trailers or containers was up 6.6 percent from last year, with containers up 8.7 percent but trailers down 0.4 percent.
Among individual carload commodities, coal loadings were up 4.6 percent from last year while metals were up 22.3 percent and farm products other than grain were up 17.6 percent. On the downside, lumber and wood products were down 15.7 percent and primary forest products were off 11.8 percent. Overall, 10 of 19 commodity groups were down from a year ago.
Culative volume for the first 29 weeks of 2006 totaled 9,742,215 carloads, up 1.6 percent from 2005; 6,716,953 trailers or containers, up 6.4 percent; and total volume of an estimated 962.7 billion ton-miles, up 2.8 percent from last year.
On Canadian railroads, during the week ended July 22 carload traffic totaled 71,749 cars, down 0.2 percent from last year while intermodal volume totaled 46,072 trailers or containers, up 8.4 percent from last year. Cumulative originations for the first 29 weeks of 2006 on the Canadian railroads totaled 2,152,716 carloads, down 1.6 percent from last year, and 1,296,074 trailers and containers, up 6.1 percent from last year.
Combined cumulative volume for the first 29 weeks of 2006 on 13 reporting U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 11,894,931 carloads, up 1.0 percent from last year and 8,013,027 trailers and containers, up 6.4 percent from last year.
The AAR also said that during the week ended July 22 Mexican railroad Kansas City Southern de Mexico (KCSM) reported total carload volume of 9,984 cars, down 6.5 percent from last year. KCSM reported total intermodal volume of 3,362 trailers or containers, down 11.8 percent from the 29th week of 2005.
For the first 29 weeks of 2006, KCSM reported total cumulative volume of 327,442 cars, down 5.4 percent from last year, and 111,622 trailers or containers, down 6.6 percent.
Railroads reporting to AAR account for 87 percent of U.S. carload freight and 96 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.
AAR is the world’s leading railroad policy, research and technology organization focusing on the safety and productivity of rail carriers