(The Association of American Railroads posted the following news release on its website on August 26.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Led by another strong week for intermodal, freight traffic on U.S. railroads was up during the week ended August 21 in comparison with the corresponding week last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today.
Intermodal traffic totaled 217,149 trailers or containers, up 9.5 percent from last year, with trailer traffic up 10.6 percent and container volume up 9.1 percent. Carload freight, which does not include the intermodal data, totaled 339,749 cars, up 0.9 percent from last year with volume up 0.8 percent in the East and 1.0 percent in the West. Total volume was estimated at 30.8 billion ton-miles, up 1.7 percent from last year.
Among the nine carload commodity groups reporting gains were metals, up 16.0 percent; farm products other than grain, up 7.9 percent; chemicals, up 7.4 percent; and coal, up 3.4 percent. Ten commodity groups were down from last year, including nonmetallic minerals, down 34.5 percent; primary forest products, down 11.1 percent; and grain, off 7.5 percent.
The AAR also reported the following cumulative totals for U.S. railroads during the first 33 weeks of 2004: 11,035,493 carloads, up 3.4 percent from last year; intermodal volume of 6,822,378 trailers or containers, up 9.5 percent; and total volume of an estimated 996.9 billion ton-miles, up 4.6 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.
Canadian railroads reported gains in both intermodal and carload freight during the week ended August 21. Carload volume totaled 69,331 cars, up 10.3 percent. Intermodal traffic totaled 42,440 trailers or containers, up 0.6 percent from last year.
Cumulative originations for the first 33 weeks of 2004 on the Canadian railroads totaled 2,202,665 carloads, up 10.3 percent from last year, and 1,368,590 trailers and containers, virtually the same as last year.
Combined cumulative volume for the first 33 weeks of 2004 on 15 reporting U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 13,238,158 carloads, up 4.3 percent from last year and 8,190,968 trailers and containers, up 7.8 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 21 totaled 9,435 cars, up 19.7 percent from last year. TFM reported intermodal volume of 4,007 originated trailers or containers, up 27.0 percent from the 33rd week of 2003. For the first 33 weeks of 2004, TFM reported cumulative originated volume of 282,230 cars, up 0.5 percent from last year, and 119,083 trailers or containers, up 1.6 percent.